Agriculture Secretary Bernie Fondevilla has ordered the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to protect the livestock and poultry industries from diseases.

Fondevilla issued the challenge during the recent anniversary celebration of BAI, which is headed by Director Davinio Catbagan.

He said, “increased international trade and changes in farming systems — indicate that disease control and prevention systems must be continuously enhanced at the national, regional and international levels.” Fondevilla pointed out that swift response to these persistent threats is “critical to our food security efforts, as well as to ensuring the income and livelihood of smallholders who make up the majority of the (livestock and poultry) subsectors.”

He urged BAI to set up a strong domestic mechanism that will support genetic improvement programs and efforts to slash the cost of production.

Protecting and developing the animal industry to help ensure food security is one of the biggest challenges that agriculture must confront amidst dwindling agri-fishery resources, changing weather patterns and globalization.

The demand for food would increase proportionately as the total population, which stands at 92 million, is set to rise to breach 94 million by yearend and reach 111 million by 2020.

By 2050, the total global population would be 9 billion, much higher than today’s 7 billion.

“More people with higher incomes means bigger demand for food,” Fondevilla said.

He noted, for instance, that world demand for animal protein is expected to rise by 50 percent by 2020 because of changing dietary habits characterized by the consumption of more milk, eggs and meat.

Besides eliminating the threat of zoonoses, he said BAI must also continue its rabies eradication efforts, vaccination programs against Newcastle Disease, hog cholera, Hemosep and other animal ailments.

Apart from these, stringent biosecurity measures must be imposed on farms, sites, migratory birds, meat processing plants, quarantine check points at airports and sea ports even as we boost the operation and rehabilitation of livestock auction markets.

Equally important, he said, is for BAI to implement its hunger-mitigation programs such as the “Kambingan at Bakahan Sa Niyugan” and “Manukang Bayan.”