The Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center 1 (ATI-RTC 1), in collaboration with the National Meat Inspection Services-Regional Technical Operation Center 1 (NMIS-RTOC 1), started the conduct of the Basic Meat Inspection Training Course (BMITC) on August 1, 2022 at ATI-RTC 1, Tebag East, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

During the opening program of the training, ATI-RTC 1 Center Director Dr. Rogelio C. Evangelista and NMIS-RTOC 1 Acting Director II Dr. Ronnie Ernst A. Duque expressed their message of support and motivational words to the 21 participants coming from the different cities and municipalities in region 1.

Meanwhile, the program was followed by lecture with Dr. Isagani Rodrigo and Mr. Carlo Fernandez, both from NMIS. They discussed the mandate, quality policy, core values, mission, and vision of NMIS. As such, they delivered topics on qualification of becoming meat inspector and their duties and responsibilities, and the gadgets and personal protective equipment for meat inspection.

The training aims to produce meat inspectors from the local government units (LGUs) equipped with proper knowledge and skills on basic meat inspection practices. The participants of the training will undergo 20-day series of various activities, such as lecture-discussions on the role of meat inspectors; anatomy and physiology of food animal; general principles of diseases; proper handling of food animals prior to slaughter and slaughtering.

In addition, the participants are expected to conduct ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections, laboratory sampling, and post meat establishment control. They will also visit and assess livestock and poultry slaughterhouses and cold storage.

Final output of the participants includes the action plan which is needed to submit on the last day of the training. A post test will also be administered to assess the level of knowledge gained by the participants. The training will commence on August 26, 2022.