Speaking at the Livestock Philippines 2015 Expo and Conference on Thursday, President Benigno Aquino III said the new £1.7m poultry dressing plant project in Bamban, Tarlac, and the new £2.1m slaughterhouse in Tanauan, Batangas, would help the country "maximise the benefits of our eligibility as a meat exporter".
Aquino said his government had put a strong emphasis on food safety to enable the country to gain traction in export markets. He said the country had been free from avian influenza since 2005 and of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) since 2010, and was only one of four countries in the region to be recognised by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as free from FMD without vaccination.
"The goal now is not only to maintain these standards, but also to ensure that our livestock sector continues to grow," the president told delegates.