DA chief orders review of goat breeding program

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced Tuesday that he has ordered a review of a goat breeding program after state auditors flagged animal deaths linked to improper care.

In a statement, Tiu Laurel said the review of the goat breeding program will determine whether the Department of Agriculture (DA) should continue the program, particularly the upgrading of small ruminants project based at the Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center in Sual, Pangasinan.

The Agriculture chief said the assessment will look at both the program’s technical viability and the resources required to sustain it. The program was launched during the previous administration. 

The review was directed after the Commission on Audit (COA), in its 2024 annual audit report on the DA, found that 52 of the 101 Anglo Nubian and Saanen goats purchased for the project had died. 

The animals were intended to serve as breeder stock for high-quality ruminants, but COA attributed the deaths to inadequate feeding and nutrition with the DA citing funding gaps.

Tiu Laurel said the comprehensive review will guide whether the DA revives the program, scales it down, or ends it altogether.

In the meantime, the Agriculture chief said the agency plans to distribute the remaining Anglo Nubian and Saanen goats to farmers in storm-battered Catanduanes, where livestock losses have compounded the impact of recent typhoons.

Moreover, the DA also intends to temporarily repurpose the 140-hectare Pangasinan facility for high-value crops production and innovation hub while decisions on the breeding program are finalized. — Ted Cordero/RSJ, GMA Integrated News