The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Agriculture is in need of Filipino butchers and livestock personnel, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.

The agriculture ministry announced its intention to tap the Philippines during the working visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in the Czech Republic on March 14.

In an interview with Radyo Pilipinas, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the workforce demand entails 20,000 positions.

“Nangangailangan ng maraming butchers atsaka trabahante sa livestock sector ng Czech Republic (There’s a great demand for butchers and workers in the livestock sector of the Czech Republic),” he said.

De Mesa added the DA will first coordinate with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to ensure proper recruitment procedures.

The DA, meanwhile, granted a three-year meat exporters’ accreditation to several countries including Brazil, Germany, Hungary and Poland.

The agency reported the accreditation in a separate statement after it had verified these countries’ compliance with the animal health code of the World Organization of Animal Health, as well as the Philippines’ quarantine and meat inspection standards.

“Exporter accreditation is necessary to ensure cattle, swine, and poultry meat sourced from abroad are free of pathogens and other diseases that could pose a risk to Filipinos and the multi-billion-peso domestic livestock and poultry industry,” the DA said.

This involves 36 meat firms in Germany, 48 in Brazil, 12 in Poland, and three in Hungary.

The accreditation is set to expire in February 2027. (PNA)