The Department of Agriculture and Department of Health have extended by six months the effectivity of a joint administrative order (JAO) allowing the Bureau of Animal Industry to register veterinary medicine and products instead of the Food and Drug Administration.
Animal health industry stakeholders led by the Philippine Veterinary Drug Association (PVDA) lauded the move as it will help ensure food security amid the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the African Swine Fever and Avian Flu.
These products can now be registered with the BAI pursuant to the Joint DOH and DA Administrative Order No. 2013-0026 which has just been extended by six months after the recent expiration of its original term.
The animal industry stakeholders said they hope Health Secretary Francisco Duque and Agriculture Secretary William Dar will approve their appeal for the extension of the JAO for a longer period of five years, if not issue a permanent policy of placing the registration of these products under the BAI.
They noted that, the FDA currently has its hands full because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the BAI is thus in a better position to continue registering veterinary medicine and products.
“PVDA and its stakeholders would like to laud the leadership of DA Secretary William Dar, BAI Director
Ronnie Domingo and the whole veterinary drugs and nutritional product regulatory team headed by Dr. Fe Cabullo,” the group said.
It noted that, “Under BAI's operational system, veterinary drug regulation and related services have always been efficiently delivered to its stakeholders through the years.”
The PVDA added that, “BAI has continued to improve its expertise, technology and knowledge of the latest information on animal health, animal production and animal welfare thus making the best trained institution to render judgment on what is good for animal production through the use of veterinary drugs and products.”
The BAI has also established a network of well-trained regional and provincial feed and drug control officers all over the country giving it an expansive monitoring system.
Aside from this, BAI has established a network of accredited third party laboratories for testing, monitoring and evaluation purposes.
“BAI has always been the government fulcrum for the animal industry where veterinary drug is an indispensable tool especially in efficient animal production and in the control and treatment of disease outbreaks. BAI has always been cognizant of these needs of the industry it serves,” PVDA said.
It noted that, under Domingo and and with the full support of Dar, “the veterinary drug industry expanded by leaps and bounds and its services towards food safety, animal welfare and food security in the poultry and livestock as well as the pet and wildlife industries have been maximized.”
“With efficient veterinary drug regulations, more effective and safe veterinary drugs have been registered, enhancing fair market completion thus making prices lower for our Filipino farmers,” PVDA said.
BAI's efficient regulation, review and approval system enabled latest trends in animal health and production freely entered the Philippine market and entries of illegal and unsafe veterinary drugs have been prevented.
“We at PVDA continue to commit to the goals of the DA and the DA to ensure food security, promote animal welfare and assure food safety by being the vanguard in the provision of safe and effective veterinary and nutritional products for efficient animal production, prevention and treatment of animal diseases and ensuring safe meat entering the food chain,” it said.
BAI's efficient regulation, review and approval system enabled latest trends in animal health and production freely entered the Philippine market and entries of illegal and unsafe veterinary drugs have been prevented.