If you want to meet the most interesting, the most stimulating and the bravest people on earth, go into animal welfare.
Nita Lichaoco
The Philippines is the fourth best performing country under the VACI due to its low levels of animal production and consumption.
The Philippines slaughters around 10.2 land-based animals per person / year, which is slightly higher than the global average of 9.7. The country's dependency on farm animals is low, with around 2 farm animals per person (compared with a global average of around 4). While farming is mostly small-scale, factory farms are growing – particularly in pig and poultry production. There is concern that the Philippines will be a target for large-scale agribusiness, given tightening environmental regulations in Europe.
The Filipino diet contains a relatively low proportion of animal products, with around 30.7% of the average person's diet being made up of land-based animal protein (compared with a global average of 35.2%). This equates to each person consuming around 15.5g of land-based animal protein per day (compared with a global average of 26.7g).
The Philippines was given a "C" under the Animal Protection Index (API), and is an adequate performer under the Sanctioning Cruelty category. While the Philippines has legislated animal welfare protections, the API notes the difficulty in improving animal welfare given agricultural production ranges from backyard farms to large-scale intensive systems. The API also notes cultural and economic barriers to change, particularly around the treatment of animals in captivity. Learn more about the quality of the legislative protections in the Philippines on the API here.