GOVPH

MEIP BENEFITS LGUs, MEAT PRODUCERS

March 31, 2016 9:31 pm

by JAMES Kostantin GALVEZ

MEAT safety and increased local government unit (LGU) income at the municipal level are among the benefits derived by beneficiaries across the country who are taking part in the Meat Establishment Improvement Program (MEIP).

While programs in place have done much to improve existing slaughterhouse facilities and equipment, reduce backyard slaughtering, improve quality, and distribute more income from the meat trade to growers, the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) said in a statement yesterday that more needs to be done in the area of regulation.

The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) conducted an impact assessment on the MEIP in 31 LGUs across the country to evaluate its impact and identify the program’s effects on institutional development and governance.

The assessment was also made to ensure optimization of the meat value chain and determine the socio-economic benefits of the MEIP to the program participants.

Among the highlights of the findings were that the MEIP helped in promoting meat safety, production of quality meat, and increasing LGU income at the municipal level.

In addition, NMIS said the presence of an improved slaughterhouse reduced backyard slaughtering and resulted in better meat quality.

Also, the monetary gain was no longer just concentrated among the dealers but also distributed among the raisers, retailers, and to certain extent, input suppliers.

Among the supply value chain participants for swine, the hog raisers have the highest net income per kilogram at P48.65. But when the volume of production is factored in, an average livestock raiser would net around P33,000 – which is less than one-fifth what the dealer would usually make, even in net income per kilogram of beef.

Another benefit listed was the socio-economic impact on the beneficiaries. The MEIP has provided beneficiary LGUs with an additional source of income which can be used to fund other projects or meet financial obligations to creditors and their constituents. An average gross income of P1.6 million is added to the treasury annually, the findings showed.

Mayor John Dycoco of Libon Town in Albay, in his speech during the formal opening of their slaughterhouse, assured the NMIS that his town would comply with all the requirements set by the national government in order to ensure that the slaughterhouse would be accredited into the class “AA” category so they can sell the meat outside of the municipality.

LGUs can become an MEIP beneficiary by submitting their application, project proposal and other relevant requirements to the NMIS regional office where the proposed project is located.

LGUs must also include in their proposal the amount they are willing to put up for the project so that the NMIS can allocate the same amount of funds needed to complete it, as MEIP is a 50:50 fund-sharing scheme.

The final MEIP beneficiaries will be approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, while the NMIS provides technical assistance in the preparation of the project proposal up to the final completion of the project.