Carabao diseases deemed risk to food safety as carabeef trade grows

THE House of Representatives Special Committee on Food Security signaled its intention to prepare a bill safeguarding the carabao (water buffalo) herd from diseases in the face of the growth of the carabeef consumption.

At a hearing, the committee heard expert testimony on zoonotic diseases — which have the potential to make the leap from animals to humans — as well as measures to keep the industry ready to service food demand if necessary. 

University of Santo Tomas Professor Martin L. Gregorio delivered a presentation on liver flukes (fasciola) in ruminants and their potential impact on livestock and humans.

He said fasciolosis infections were detected in 35 carabaos have between 2016 to 2018.

The carabao herd was estimated at 2.71 million animals in 2024 by the Philippine Statistics Authority, with about 1.7% of the herd slaughtered for meat and 1% providing milk.

Other diseases affecting carabaos include anthrax, which affected 59 animals in the 2022-2026 period, killing two, according to Ian Christian Gonzales, chief of the Department of Health’s Public Health Surveillance Division.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Benjamin C. Albarece said foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in carabaos has largely  been contained, with the Department of Agriculture maintaining stocks of FMD vaccines should another outbreak occur. 

He said carabao consumption grew in recent years as a consequence of the African Swine Fever  outbreak in hogs.

“Half of our swine population was lost so we lacked pork supplies and prices went up. As substitutes, they bought and slaughtered a lot of carabao,” Mr. Albarece said.

The Philippine Carabao Center’s  Marvin A. Villanueva, head of the Biosafety and Environment Section, said keeping diseases in check will require stepped-up herd surveillance and disease reporting, building up diagnostic capacity in the regions, improving movement controls and transportation, and raising local government unit capacity for animal health planning and response measures. — Maria Mikaela H. Tormon