Hog raisers seek TRO vs Thai firm

MAJOR hogs and poultry players in Mindanao are set to meet next week to thresh out their plan to seek a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from the Supreme Court against a Thailand-based agribusiness company.

Teresita Pascual, chair of the Regional Hog and Poultry Cluster in Davao Region, said there are groups from Manila who already sought for a TRO before the SC against Charoen Pokphand, Thailand's largest agribusiness firm, producing products such as animal feed, animal feeder, meat and food products.

Pascual said local stakeholders have to file a separate TRO, with Mindanao being free from Food and Mouth (FMB) disease and bird flu.

She said they will set a meeting with different stakeholders, including the Mindanao Alliance of Hog and Poultry Farmers, Davao Hog Farmers Association, and Southern Mindanao Poultry Association to discuss their legal move.

Charoen Pokphand allegedly started operating in the country even without consulting the residents in Tarlac, said Pascual.

"Suddenly, it (Chakroen Pokphand) sprouted in a certain area without the community knowing what they are doing that might bring about positive or negative impact to the community," Pascual said.

"That (consulting the residents) is the very first requirement that (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) want us, local farmers, to comply," she added.

Local hog raisers also feared that Charoen Pokphand might not be free from FMB and that can affect the backyard animals in the country, especially in Mindanao.

Pascual also lambasted the move of Bureau of Investment (BOI) in granting the Thai food giant company with a pioneer status and six-year income tax holiday.

In a report, Abono Partylist, National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., Agham Partylist, Agap Partylist, Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative, Association of the Philippine Aqua Feeds Millers were the groups who filed the petition for TRO, concerning the BOI's granting of pioneer status and tax incentives to the firm.

In a follow up interview over the phone, Pascual refused to specify what will be the content of the petition until their meeting next week.