POULTRYINDONESIA, Jakarta – The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) continues to strengthen economic diplomacy in the livestock subsector as a strategy to open international market access for Indonesian livestock products.

Director of Livestock Product Downstreaming at the MoA, Makmun, expressed appreciation for the strong relationship that has been established between Indonesia and the Philippines, particularly for the positive response from the Philippine Government toward efforts to open market access for Indonesian livestock products. According to him, the visit provided an important opportunity for the Philippine delegation to directly observe the readiness of Indonesia’s livestock industry to meet internationally recognized animal health and food safety standards.

“Indonesia has a strong commitment to providing safe, healthy, and high-quality livestock products in accordance with international standards. Through this visit, we hope to further increase the Philippines’ confidence in Indonesia’s animal health system and livestock industry, allowing opportunities for trade cooperation to continue expanding and delivering benefits to both countries,” Makmun said while receiving a delegation from the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) at the MoA Office in Jakarta on Wednesday (5/8/2026).

The meeting marked a strategic step toward strengthening mutual confidence in each country’s animal health and food safety systems. On the other hand, the visit is also expected to create greater opportunities for Indonesian poultry products, vaccines, and veterinary medicines to enter the Philippine market.

Chief Veterinary Officer of the Philippines, Constante J. Palabrica, emphasized that cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines in the livestock subsector has been well established for many years. According to him, the trade potential between the two countries remains substantial and needs to be further strengthened through the implementation of high biosecurity and animal health standards.

“We hope this visit will further strengthen trade relations between our two countries. Biosecurity and animal health are important factors in every trade cooperation involving livestock products, which is why we want to directly observe how these systems are implemented in Indonesia,” Constante said.

On the same occasion, Director of Animal Health at the MoA, Hendra Wibawa, explained that Indonesia has consistently strengthened its Avian Influenza control system through the implementation of Influenza Virus Monitoring (IVM), conducted twice a year. In addition, Indonesia has implemented a compartmentalization system in accordance with Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 28 of 2008 and the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), as part of efforts to strengthen animal health assurance while increasing the confidence of export destination countries.

“The implementation of compartmentalization is one of the key instruments in controlling HPAI. By applying these national and international standards, Indonesia continues to improve animal health assurance, strengthen disease control, and expand international market access for poultry commodities and their derived products,” Hendra explained.

Beyond animal health, food safety of animal-origin products was also a key focus of the meeting. Director of Veterinary Public Health at the MoA, I Ketut Wirata, presented the implementation of the ASUH concept—Safe, Healthy, Wholesome, and Halal—as the foundation of Indonesia’s food safety system for animal-origin products. This approach is carried out through the Safe From Farm to Fork system, an integrated monitoring framework covering every stage from farms and transportation to slaughterhouses and processing facilities, until products reach consumers.

Ketut explained that the system is further strengthened through Veterinary Control Number (NKV) certification, the implementation of animal welfare standards, animal product registration, as well as monitoring and risk analysis throughout the entire animal-origin food production chain.

“Food safety is not determined solely by the final product, but is built from the production process at the farm through to the point when the product reaches consumers. Therefore, the implementation of ASUH principles through the Safe From Farm to Fork approach represents Indonesia’s commitment to ensuring that every animal-origin food product meets internationally recognized standards of safety, quality, and health,” Ketut emphasized.

Support for increasing exports was also expressed by the Indonesian Quarantine Agency, which reaffirmed its commitment to further accelerate export certification services for livestock products at seaports and airports. The measure is expected to facilitate trade flows while enhancing the competitiveness of Indonesian livestock products in the global market.

Through this bilateral meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture is optimistic that relations between Indonesia and the Philippines in the livestock sector will continue to grow stronger. The collaboration being developed is expected not only to open broader market opportunities for Indonesian livestock products, but also to strengthen cooperation in animal disease control, improve food safety for animal-origin products, and promote sustainable and mutually beneficial trade between the two countries.

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