The Department of Agriculture (DA) is reviving its inter-agency body tasked with monitoring and assessing data on the country’s livestock and poultry, helping the government ensure market stability while keeping prices low.

Under Special Order (SO) No. 599, dated April 10, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel authorized the creation of the inter-agency Livestock Data Analytics Group (LDAG).

“We need up-to-date data on market trends and behavior to ensure that the policies we formulate and the actions we take safeguard and promote the growth of the industry—even as we protect consumers,” said Laurel in a statement.

“The market is dynamic, hence the need for better and more reliable information for accurate forecasts and timely decisions,” he added.

Laurel has envisioned the group as a means to ensure market stability and protect both producers and consumers from price volatility and supply fluctuations.

LDAG will be headed by Agriculture Undersecretary for livestock Dante Palabrica as its chairman.

It will be comprised of representatives from the National Livestock Program (NLP), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), National Dairy Authority (NDA), National Corn Program (NCP), National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), and Agricultural Training Institute-International Training Center for Pig Husbandry (ATI-ITCPH).

Under the SO, LDAG’s primary role is to streamline the collection, analysis, and reporting of key livestock and poultry data to improve planning, forecasting, and policy formulation.

The group is mandated to coordinate with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on data needs and requirements.

It will also collaborate with commodity focal points across agencies to collect and consolidate data on livestock and poultry production, inventory levels, farmgate prices, cold storage stocks, and production costs, among others.

Harnessing the data, LDAG will generate scenario-based supply and demand outlooks, develop trend analyses, and produce regular reports, such as the livestock and poultry situationer.

These reports will inform the Agriculture Secretary on key developments in the pork, chicken, egg, and dairy sectors.

LDAG will also conduct regular consultations with industry stakeholders to validate data and enhance the relevance of its findings, ensuring alignment between government action and actual market conditions.

“Through the strengthened LDAG, the DA aims to boost the livestock sector’s resilience, improve food security, and promote long-term industry sustainability,” said Laurel.

LDAG was first created in 2020, under the leadership of then-DA chief William Dar, to ensure food availability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its revival comes as the agency bats for timely data amid the threat of animal diseases, such as African swine fever (ASF) and bird flu, in the livestock and poultry industry.

Based on DA data, the country’s swine population stands at approximately eight million, which is nearly 60 percent of the 14 million hogs before the first ASF outbreak in 2019.

Bird flu, meanwhile, has caused the culling of over 10 million chickens since its outbreak in 2017.