IN a bid to ensure meat quality in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) is investing in the establishment of more local meat inspection systems (LMISs) in the region.
NMIS-CAR Meat Control Officer I Dr. Janet Chaluyen said that the agency is looking to establish accredited LMISs in all local government units (LGUs) in the region through coordination with said LGUs.
“The NMIS is ceaseless in coordinating with our LGUs especially with the advocating of meat safety handling with our meat establishments,” Chaluyen said.
According to Chaluyen, once the LGU’s individual LMIS plans are examined and accredited, the NMIS can give the greenlight for their implementation.
Currently, the LMISs for Baguio City and Tabuk City in Kalinga Province are in the drafting stage, subject to assessment by the NMIS-CAR.
Without a localized LMIS plan catered to each LGU’s individual situation and context, the NMIS instead has to rely on implementing only the provisions of the national meat safety laws, Chaluyen said.
For its part, the Baguio City local authorities have been regularly inspecting meat products in the city’s markets, with recent inspections having caught not only some 140 kilos of substandard meat products but even dog meat, which is currently illegal in Baguio.
