AN ACT ENHANCING ANIMAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND COMPETITIVENESS, STRENGTHENING THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY, AND CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE ANIMAL COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

The NDA shall be strengthened as the food safety certifying agency for local dairy industry chain including, but not limited to, micro, small, medium and all other commercial dairy processing plants and other entities engaged in dairy activities, whether in whole or in part. The NDA shall be mandated by the BAI and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to provide testing and accreditation services over all local dairy activities and products from primary production up to post-market product distribution. The NDA, in the exercise of its functions on production, post-harvest, processing, marketing, storage, distribution, and trading, may secure data and reports relative to dairy industry supply and value chain participants. Within one hundred fifty (150) days from the effectivity of this Act, the FDA, NDA, Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), and the BAI shall harmonize the standards and guidelines for the regulation of local milk and milk products into a code of dairy regulations to be implemented, enforced, and updated primarily by the BAI. SEC. 9. Governance and Expanded Functions of the NDA. - The BAI Administrator shall be designated representative of the DA Secretary as Chairperson of the Dairy Industry Board, created under Section 5 of Republic Act No. 7884 or the "National Dairy Development Act of 1995". In addition to its existing developmental powers and functions, the NDA shall: (a) Distribute as grant, dairy animals, equipment, and other supplies to qualified small-hold and semi-commercial dairy farmers, cooperatives, and associations (FCAs), and local government units (LGUs); (b) Integrate dairy production and dairy-related businesses into various livelihood and nutrition programs; (c)Engage in dairy-related business milk-buying, and other marketing activities, to sustain the financial viability of of the agency including, but not limited to, sales, exchange, packaging, and exportation of milk and milk products, and importation of dairy animals; and engage in business ventures and other commercial arrangements on its own or with third parties related to dairy activities including, but not limited to, the establishment of milk processing plants, feed processing, trading, hauling, shipping, and other value chain businesses or activities on dairying; (d) Establish and maintain dairy regional operations and business centers or offices in various parts of the country in order to conduct business, development, extension support, and training services; (e) Establish and operate its own dairy stock farms, nucleus farms, and artificial insemination facilities for the purpose of breeding, upgrading, dispersal, and sale of dairy animals; (f) Issue certificates of product registration, and in connection therewith, collect incidental fees from local related businesses; (g) Coordinate and facilitate the absorption of local milk supply by the commercial sector; and (h) Establish and maintain facilities and services in support of the industry's compliance with regulations, developmental and extension activities including, but not limited to, offices, reference laboratories, satellite laboratories, dairy hubs, and training facilities, among others. SEC. 10. Management and Acquisition of Dairy Programs, Projects, and Assets. - All remaining government dairy programs, projects, and assets operating outside of the NDA, except the research and development component of the PCC, shall be absorbed by the NDA. Towards this end, the NDA, in coordination with affected agencies, shall conduct an inventory and survey of all assets it occupies and those assets, lots, funds, grants, subsidies and records of the DA related to dairying, and establish an office for transfer in its name, including the lot occupied by its central offices in the BAI compound, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, measuring at least one thousand (1,000) square meters. Subject to the submission by the NDA of a development plan to be approved by the BAI Administrator, focusing on production, post-harvest, processing, marketing, and other commercial arrangements within the dairy value chain and support services, the NDA may also develop properties of the DA such as the Dumarao Stock Farm in Dumarao, Capiz; Bureau of Animal Industry National Beef Cattle Research and Development Center (BAI-NBCRDC) in Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Davao Regional Upland Agriculture Research Station in Marilog District, Davao City; DA-RFO2 - Quirino Experiment Station in Quirino Province; and other suitable properties under the management and administration of the DA. SEC. 11. NDA Capitalization. - The NDA shall have an authorizes capital of One billion pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) which shall be fully subscribed by the National Government in accordance with Title III of this Act. SEC. 12. Condonation and Writing-off of Farmers' Debts. - To achieve the objectives of this Act, the past debts, including interests and penalties, of farmers to the NDA and the PCC under the Animal Dispersal Program or paiwi both agencies are hereby condoned and written off the records of the NDA and the PCC. SEC. 13. Animal Management Information System (AMIS). - Within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, the BAI shall establish the AMIS. The AMIS shall be the repository of all information relevant to animal industries. It shall provide timely, accurate, and responsive information related to animal industries from municipal up to national level which shall include, but not limited to, the following data: (a) Animal inventory, pedigree record, acquisition cost, and sales data; (b) Animal health data vaccination; (c) Registration of animal infrastructure and facilities; (d) Supply and demand data of animal products and by-products; (e) Export and import data on animals, animal products, and by-products; (f) Crop and non-crop animal feed inputs data such as production, prices, imports, and exports; (g) Animal feed and feed ingredients data such as inventory and prices; (h) Price and price trends including farm gate, wholesale, and retail prices of animals, animal products, and by-products; (i) Research information and technology generated from research institutions involved in the animal industry; (j) Information on pests, diseases, and epidemics to ensure food safety and animal health protection; and (k) Data relating to programs of the BAI, NDA, and the PCC, including importation of breeds, artificial insemination, natural breeding, buy-back programs, and sources of stocks and breeds for the need of local farms, among other information. The AMIS shall have the capability to process, analyze, evaluate, and validate data and generate reports and forecasts. The system shall be placed directly under the BAI Administrator. The system reports shall be linked to the websites of the BAI, PCC, NDA, and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for easy access of stakeholders and users to livestock data and information. SEC. 14.