Fisheries stakeholders seek support of Phil Committee Against IUU Fishing to address EU’s yellow card warning

On June 10, 2014, the European Commission (EC), the executive body of the European Union (EU) responsible for proposing legislations and implementing decisions that uphold the Union's treaties and interests, issued a ‘yellow card’ warning to the Philippines, as well as the Papua New Guinea (PNG), for its shortcomings in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

To identify collaborative actions to address this, the Philippine Council for Fisheries (PCAF), through its Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (CFA), in collaboration with the Save the Fisheries Now Network (SFNN), organized a forum on July 14, 2014 at the PCAF Apacible Conference Room.

Therese Yosuico of the Trade Section of the European Union (EU) Delegation and Atty. Annaliza Vitug of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Fisheries Regulatory and Quarantine Division (FRQD) were at the forum to shed light to the stakeholders and members of concerned civil society organizations (CSOs) on the EC’s issuance of ‘yellow card’ warning to the Philippines and the current efforts being undertaken by the government.

The EC’s decision came after a thorough analysis of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) of the Philippines’ national systems for implementing the provisions of the IUU regulation (EC) 1005/2008.

The EC has identified deficiencies in the country’s fisheries management measures which include deficient traceability schemes, absence of a comprehensive catch certificate scheme, lack of compliance as regards flag state responsibility over the long-distance fleet operating in PNG waters and the areas of Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

The EC also found the country’s legal framework not being able to address the IUU activities committed by its fleet in high seas and waters under jurisdiction of third states and without deterrent sanction system IUU activities depriving offenders of the benefit derived from the illegal activity.

“There is also lack of sufficient administrative capacities to ensure control and enforcement of the legislation due to the imbalance between resources and the importance of the fishery sector and lack of compliance with international law and regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) rules since the Philippines’ legal framework only provides for limited conservation and management measures under its national jurisdiction and excludes the application of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) rules to archipelagic borders,” Yosuico said as she further listed down the deficiencies identified by the Commission.

Yosuico also shared the importance of Philippine fisheries to the EU, saying that in 2013, €171 or $229 million worth of fishery exports to the EU or equivalent to three percent of the country’s total exports to the EU.

The EC has formalized dialogue with the Philippines on IUU fishing on June 10, stressing that they trust in the willingness of the country to “tackle the identified challenges and avoid the identification as non-cooperating and adoption of trade measures.”

“The formalization of the dialogue process will serve to strengthen the cooperation between the Commission and the Philippines to address all problems within a logical time frame of six months. A tailor-made suggested action plan has been proposed to the Philippines and has undertaken Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) to help the country address the named deficiencies,” Yosuico said.

BFAR spearheads the finalization of the said action plan in line with the 12-point action provided by the EU which includes the passage of a legislation on IUU fishing through the amendment of Republic Act No. 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code, traceability issues, catch certification, monitoring, control and surveillance, registration and licensing, and cooperation with the PNG on fisheries development.

“The prepared action plan is currently undergoing interagency scrutiny through the Department of Foreign Affairs and will hopefully be submitted before the deadline this December. We have addressed everything that’s been indicated in the EU’s proposed tailor-made action plan and we hope that this would be enough to satisfy the DG MARE,” Atty. Vitug said.

One of the efforts that BFAR will undertake in light of the issue is the Municipal Fisherfolk Registration (FishR) and the formulation of a national inspection plan. Atty. Vitug also disclosed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has committed funding for 1,700 positions in the agency this month

“We are very optimistic that by the end of December, we will be out of our ‘yellow card’ status. Aside from this, we are also aiming for a Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) plus certification,” Atty. Vitug said.

Through PCAF-CFA Resolution No. 9, the body sought the support of the Philippine Committee Against IUU Fishing, headed by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, which is mandated to ensure the implementation of the National Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing (NPOA-IUU).

On December 6, 2013, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 154 to adopt the NPOA-IUU which was developed to achieve the objectives of the International Plan of International Plan of Action on IUU Fishing endorsed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) in 2001.

PCAF-CFA Chairperson Arsenio Tanchuling stressed the urgency to prioritize the six major deficiencies named by the EU through the mechanisms that will operationalize the NPOA-IUU. Private sector members of the committee and representatives of concerned CSOs pledged their support to assist the government in addressing the traceability issues identified.

Should the country not be able to tackle the identified six major deficiencies within the six-month period granted, the EU will issue a ‘red card’ and be declared as a non-cooperative country as was done to Belize, Cambodia and New Guinea in 2013.

The committee recommended the creation of a composite team representing the private sector, civil society and government offices. The committee hoped that this team can meet with Sec. Alcala and seek approval to undertake immediate steps to comply with IUU fishing regulations.

“The objective of this multi-stakeholder initiative is to synergize multi-stakeholder efforts to address the compliance to the EU regulation,” the committee said in the resolution.

The committee also welcomed the suggestion of private fishing operators that they will provide the Philippine government the data they submit to PNG’s vessels monitoring system to address traceability issues. CSO representatives also assured the committee that they will assist in the formulation of policies and action plans.

PCAF Deputy Exec. Dir. Florabelle Uy-Yap was also present at the forum, alongside PCAF-CFA Chairperson Arsenio Tanchuling, and suggested the presentation of the action plan prepared by BFAR to the committee.

Source: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/ycard.html

PCAF participates in UN consultation on BBNJ

Representatives from United Nations (UN) Member States, intergovernmental organizations, and non-government organizations convened for an Ad-Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group (AHWG) to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ) last June 16-19, 2014 at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.

Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) Executive Director Ariel Cayanan was part of the Philippine delegation, together with PCAF Fisheries and Aquaculture Section Chief Sarah Bales, and Philippine Mission to the UN Legal Adviser Atty. Igor Bailen.

The eighth of the nine series of meetings convened by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to discuss a possible new international instrument on BBNJ under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it focused on the scope, parameters and feasibility of an international instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ initially discussed in the previous meeting in April, which was attended by PCAF Deputy Exec. Dir. Florabelle Uy-Yap and BFAR Assistant Dir. Atty. Benjamin F. S. Tabios, Jr.

During the deliberation of the issues, Dir. Cayanan presented the Philippine position regarding the feasibility of a new instrument, noting that a new instrument on BBNJ would contribute to ensuring predictability in the conduct of states.

He explained that “a negotiation process for an implementing instrument under UNCLOS is feasible primarily because of the compelling reasons to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ which are a common natural heritage of mankind.”

The International Institute for Sustainable Development noted that the consultation has been successful in clarifying a series of substantive elements of a new agreement on BBNJ that are considered necessary to prepare recommendations to the UN General Assembly at the next AHWG meeting in January 2015.

During the consultation, the participants agreed to adopt the 2011 package, the package of issues agreed on by the Working Group in 2011, as starting point to address the existing legal, regulatory, and implementation gaps covering the areas of concern of: marine genetic resources, including questions on the sharing of benefits; area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact assessments; conservation and management tools (marine science); and technology transfer and capacity building.

Furthermore, they agreed to address the issues and gaps on the fragmentation in governance and management of present and future threats to marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, work within the framework and principles established by the UNCLOS, develop a benefit-sharing regime for marine genetic resources, establish representative marine protected area networks, and assess environmental impacts including cumulative impacts, and take into account modern conservation principles such as ecosystem-based management and the precautionary principle.

The concluding AHWG meeting is scheduled on January 20-23, 2015 in which the PCAF will continue its participation and will submit regular updates on the development of the UN informal consultative meetings regarding oceans and the law of the sea, as well as recommendations relevant to DA participation.

-With reports from International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services.

Source: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/bbmj.html

Sec. Alcala hails private sector’s role in livestock dev’t efforts at Phl Swine Forum

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso Alcala graced the 2014 Philippine Swine Forum last July 24 and spoke of how significant the support of the private sector is in the success of the government’s initiatives for the livestock industry.

“The government and the private sector should work hand in hand (in boosting the livestock sector),” he said.

Addressing around 170 hog industry players, including producers, exporters, dealers, processors, smallhold farmers and members of the Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs), and officials from concerned government agencies and the academe who were present at the forum held at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management Convention Hall, Sec. Alcala stressed that the government continues to undertake efforts for the benefit of livestock stakeholders.

“Magkakaroon na po tayo ng triple A cutting floor sa Tanuan, Batangas at triple A dressing plant for poultry sa Tarlac.Nakikita ninyo po na hindi po kami nagtutulug-tulugan but, we also need your support para tuluy- tuloy nating maisaayos ito. At hindi po tayo titigil rito. We want to improve everything,” Sec. Alcala said.

[The establishment of a triple A cutting floor in Tanuan, Batangas and a triple A dressing plant for poultry in Tarlac is underway. As you can see, we are actively carrying out our duties but, we also need your support so we can see our efforts through. We won’t stop here.]

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala speaks to hog industry players at the 2014 Philippine Swine Forum, underscoring the importance of private sector engagement in the implementation of various programs and projects for the industry.

Citing export opportunities in countries such as South Korea, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, Sec. Alcala also emphasized that the livestock industry should maximize the fact that the country is free from the foot and mouth disease as the ASEAN Economic Community integration takes place.

“We are also pushing for the exportation of our local produce; we should strive to produce high quality meat and meat products. Nevertheless, I congratulate our country’s livestock growers (for their achievements) especially those from the chicken industry which is currently thriving,” the agri chief said.

He also revealed upcoming credit initiatives for livestock raisers, especially from the poultry industry, who have been affected by typhoon Glenda (Rammasun).

Sec. Alcala also expressed gladness on the conduct of the Philippine Swine Forum, spearheaded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) through its Committee on Livestock, Poultry and Feed Crops (CPLFC), and looked forward to the recommendations of the participants.

“Kayo po ang nakakaalam ng industriya, kayo po ang dapat na pinakikinggan ng pamahalaan. [As the champions of the industry, the government should truly listen to you.] I will study all the recommendations drawn from this forum and I will try my best to encourage our economic managers to support your proposals,” he said.

The forum featured a host of relevant topics such as the Philippine Swine Situation and Outlook, High Prices of Pork, Swine Performance for 2013, Past, Present & Future of the Swine Industry in the Eyes of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, DA’s Support Program for the Swine Industry, Forecast on Soybean/Soybean Milk Usage, Export Potential of Swine & Market Situation of the Swine Industry, Credit Program for Livestock, Native Pigs Raising in the Philippines, Corn Feed Ingredients Outlook, Food Safety Act of 2013, Eradication and Biosecurity of Classical Swine Fever or Hog Cholera, Challenge in the Prevention and Control of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea, and Application of Molecular Methods in Swine Breeding & Selection.

Philippine swine situation

Data from the Livestock Development Council, now consolidated with the National Agricultural and Fishery Council as the PCAF, show that the hog industry continues to be a major contributor in the country’s agriculture, next to palay, with 13.48 percent in 2013 based on percentage distribution of value of production at constant price. In the same year, 2.01 million tons (liveweight) of hog valued at P191.92 million was produced.

Of the more than 11 million heads recorded in a recent hog inventory, backyard farms account for 65 percent while the commercial ones account for the remaining 35 percent. However, comparative data show that the share of backyard farms is declining while that of commercial farms is increasing, as 2000 figures reveal that backyard farms account for 77 percent of the total inventory and 23 percent for commercial farms.

Meanwhile, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Regions 3 and 4A account for most of the country’s total hog production from 2011 to 2013, with a combined share of around 30-34 percent.

In her presentation, PSA Livestock & Poultry Statistics Division Chief Nenita Yanson revealed that the country’s total swine inventory as of April 1, 2014 was 11.99 million heads, which is 11.45 percent lower than last year’s inventory.

In 2013, bulk of the local pork production was consumed by households accounting for 63 percent of total pork supply, while the remaining 37 percent went to processing and institutions. Given the total local pork production, per capita consumption of pork is estimated at 12.34 kilogram per year.

On the other hand, Pork Producers Association of the Philippines President Edwin Chen offered some solutions to address the continuing price increase of pork which is attributed to the continuing food inflation, hog diseases and increase in the prices of raw materials.

“There is a need to draft a roadmap for pork and for the government to increase its support for the industry particularly by increasing access and information on biosecurity and swine health especially for backyard farmers and support these backyard farmers to modernize their production facilities to increase efficiencies. Commercial farms can also provide data to and work with the government to find other coordinating measures to make pork affordable to consumers,” he said.

Private sector recommendations

Livestock stakeholders propose measures to address challenges faced by the industry and ultimately be able to accelerate its improvement..

Discussions during the forum resulted in some resolutions which include recommendations to hold the swine forum annually, create a national genetic program to ensure the quality of breeds, formulate a policy that will limit the use of mechanically deboned meat, and establish a concrete scheme to encourage swine producers to report actual statistics on swine population and diseases.

Industry stakeholders also sought for stricter implementation of all border safeguards to ensure quality of imported meat, implementation of national biosecurity measures for swine, creation of a task force to study and analyze the backyard hog-raising in the Philippines, prioritization of local producers when there is demand for pork in the country, efforts to immediately address swine diseases, and for the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation to develop a more responsive insurance scheme for the swine industry.

PCAF Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan thanks private sector representatives present at the forum for their participation and looks forward to stronger collaborations for the improvement of the hog industry.

Other DA officials, namely, Undersecretary for Livestock Jose Reaño and Assistant Secretary for Livestock Davinio Catbagan also graced the forum organized in light of the theme “Towards Globally Competitive Philippine Swine Industry,” together with PCAF Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan, Deputy Exec. Dir. Florabelle Uy-Yap and PCAF-CPLFC Chairperson Rufina Salas.

In his message, Dir. Cayanan stressed that the PCAF will ensure that the recommendations from the forum “will be appropriately endorsed, so that it will bear positive results and redound to great benefits” for the hog farmers and other stakeholders in the country.

Source: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/swine.html

PCAF, BFAR spearhead nat’l forum on FIP Protocol for ASEAN

Through the collaboration of the PCAF and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquaculture (BFAR), the National Consultative Workshop on Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) Protocol for the ASEAN Region was held last June 10 and 11, 2014 at the Rural Development and Education Center, Agricultural Training Institute Compound, Diliman, Quezon City.

Pooling together industry players from the government and private sectors, including non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations, the academe, local government units, other line agencies, DA units, National and Regional Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council, Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs), and other partners of the PCAF Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (CFA), the PCAF and the BFAR spearheaded the workshop to develop a common position as input to the development of the  FIP protocol for the ASEAN Region.

“We also hope to create awareness and understanding among capture fisheries stakeholders on the relevance of FIP protocol to Philippine fisheries and encourage active participation among stakeholders in the FIP process,” PCAF-CFA Chairperson Arsenio Tanchuling said of the national consultative workshop with the theme “Improving Seafood Product Competitiveness and Realizing a Sustainable Philippine Fisheries.”

The United States Agency for International Development-Maximizing Agricultural Revenue through Knowledge, Enterprise Development and Trade (USAID-MARKET) Project is currently leading the discussions among stakeholders on the development of the FIP protocol and communicating the process, timeline, and expected results to buyers and NGOs.

The development of an FIP protocol for the ASEAN Region came about during the 1st Meeting of the ASEAN Public-Private Taskforce for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in 2013.

Corey Peet, USAID Consultant for the FIP Project, described the FIP as a new tool to generate improvements in fisheries recognized by international buyers. An FIP protocol, on the other hand, is a “defined set of guidelines describing a clear pathway to improvement and includes verification mechanisms.”

The scope of the protocol is to develop a tool to improve fisheries in ASEAN that is aligned to at least the most basic level of globally significant fisheries certification schemes such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Standard, while, at the same time, being achievable by an appropriate number of fisheries in the ASEAN Region.

The FIP protocol will define a process that will track the FIP’s progress against a series of benchmarks, namely, environmental and social. In April 2014, the first draft of the FIP protocol was developed by the Steering Committee comprised of representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, as well as Australia and the USA.

To gather the inputs of Filipino stakeholders for the first draft of the FIP protocol, the participants of the said workshop were divided into two working groups to discuss the contents of the draft output matrices for Environmental and Social Benchmarks.

The Environmental Benchmarks aim to address environmental issues of biodiversity associated with by-catch, habitat impacts due to gear, fisheries management, as well as stock status and data collection, ecosystems and endangered, threatened species, and traceability of fisheries products. These covered prevention of overfishing, collection of fisheries information, fishing mortality, retained species information, and damage to the sea floor, among others.

The Social Benchmarks include Rights of Workers or Security and Safety of Workers, Rights of Communities where the group recommended interventions for Large Scale and Small Scale Operations in terms of minimum wage, payments/renumeration, insurance, working time/effort, safety at sea, zero tolerance for abuse of fishers, child labor, hazardous work for young workers, livelihood program, and vessel licensing, among others.

According to Peet, all comments and recommendations during the workshops will be consolidated with the comments and recommendations from the public meetings held in other ASEAN countries and will be shared with the Steering Committee for its consideration in developing the second draft.

The second draft is expected to be released for a 60-day public comment period on August 1 of this year, from which comments will be generated for the third draft of the document. The third draft will then undergo field testing in October of this year until January 2015.

Meanwhile, the workshop participants also adopted two resolutions recommending the participation of permanent representatives from the Philippine government to the ASEAN Public-Private Informal Taskforce for Sustainable Fisheries Sector and the creation of a Technical Working Group to discuss commodity-specific issues and management interventions.

DA Undersecretary for Operations Emerson Palad graced the event in behalf of Secretary Proceso Alcala and conveyed the latter’s message to the attendees, which highlighted the Department’s thrust to push forth a sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth that benefits smallholder farmers and fishers.

PCAF, BAI, LGU breaks ground for Canlaon City LOM

“As a city that has a relatively high livestock and poultry population, a modernized Livestock Oksyon Market will truly give way to more improved and efficient transactions and therefore boost revenues for raisers, traders, meat dealers, meat processors and other livestock and poultry stakeholders not only in this area but also in its neighboring towns and cities,” said Dir. Ariel T. Cayanan during the Livestock Oksyon Market (LOM) Project groundbreaking ceremony on June 8, 2014 at Canlaon City, Negros Occidental.

The project aims to increase the income of livestock farmers by as much as 25% and generate employment in the livestock sector through increased trading activities. It also seeks to enhance the capacity of stakeholders from the national to the local level and establish best practices that, in turn, will be disseminated to other LOMs in the country to help improve their operations, thus, contribute to the development of the country’s livestock and poultry industries.

“Canlaon City is selected as one of the beneficiaries of the Rehabilitation and Modernization of Livestock Oksyon Markets in the Philippines because of its good performance in the stockyard with complete records of the livestock industry and a significant increase in its sales,” explained Mr. Joel A. Elumba, Regional Livestock Coordinator.

Dr. Rubina O. Cresencio, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Officer-in-Charge, in her message, congratulated the city because of its abundance in natural resources which gives them the potential to be one of the developed cities in Negros Oriental. She also identified areas of the livestock industry which should be developed and prioritized such as dairy cattle, strengthening of the native poultry and swine production and construction of class AA slaughterhouses. “This can further boost the industry,” she added.

City Mayor Jaime L. Clerigo extended his gratitude to all collaborating agencies for coming up with a project to help the livestock raisers and for choosing the city as one of the recipients.

Source: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/oksyon.html