When I was breeding purebred goats, some of which I acquired from top breeders in the US, people who were not familiar with genetic programs for ruminants were surprised to discover that my goats had “birth certificates” which showed who their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents are.
“Mabuti pa ang kambing, may birth certificate pero ang mga tao sa bukid hindi nga alam kung kailan sila pinanganak,” my friends said in jest.
Knowing the lineage or pedigree of the animals that you breed, from chicken, dogs, goats, horses and cattle, is very critical in ensuring the quality of the animals that you produce and also to prevent in-breeding which leads to a genetic deterioration.
It also spells the difference between a pedigreed animal and a mongrel. In simple application, that means differentiating a Doberman from an “Askal.”
There are two goat raisers’ associations in America which I have enrolled myself in and these are the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) and the American Boer Goat Association (ABGA), although I am not an active member anymore.
If you are a member of any ADGA or ABGA, you could have access to the Pedigree and check the parentage of your goats.
In the case of the Dairy Goats, even the milking performance of the parents of your goats or the lineage are indicated as the association conducts periodic tests.
So, kung bibili ka ng dairy goat, alam mo kung anong bloodline ang malakas magbigay ng gatas.
The Philippines is way, way behind in this program which is why farmers just rely on anecdotal accounts rather than scientific records.
In fact, while gamefowl, horse and dog breeders are starting to get very particular about pedigrees, wala pang Digital Pedigree Portal for any of these animals.
When I became Secretary of Agriculture, I pushed for the registry of Philippine Small Ruminants, especially goats, and it was called the Philippine Goat Registry.
The purpose of the program was not only to easily identify goat lineage and performances but also to protect the Department of Agriculture from unscrupulous “goat merchants” who buy goats from auction markets and supply these to the government’s animal dispersal program.
I am happy that this program is still being pursued even after I left the DA last year and there are dedicated advocates from the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association, the Philippine College of Ruminant Practitioners, Central Luzon State University, Bureau of Animal Industry, Philippine Carabao Center and the Fe3deration of Goat and Sheep Producers and Associations of the Philippines, Inc.(FGASPAPI).
These institutions are working together to establish the first-ever Philippine Goat and Sheep Registry, a digital platform which farmers could use in improving their herd.
it will also protect government because through this digitalized portal, it will be easy to determine if the goats being sold for the Animal Dispersal Program come from registered breeder farms or from the Auction Market of Padre Garcia in Batangas.
#AgricultureIsCommonSense!
#DigitalizingAgricultureMarket!
(The first four photos show my prized bucks of Anglo Nubians and Boers and samples of pedigree papers. Other photos forwarded by FGASPAPI President Dr. Boying Llorin show the advocates of the Philippine Goat and Sheep Registry Program during a convenors meeting held last year.)
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