DA may impose restrictions on pork imports by November

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is eyeing to implement quantitative restrictions on pork imports by November, following the completion of its safeguard investigations.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the agency could impose quantitative restrictions or a possible freeze in the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) on imported pork by the first week of November.

“I am thinking of stopping the issuance of SPCIC for several pork cuts for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 60 days,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Tuesday Club breakfast forum.

Potential pork cuts to be restricted include pork belly, pork cuts, jowls and whole pig.

Quantitative restrictions are trade measures that a country imposes to limit the import or export of a specific commodity or item.

This comes as the DA has initiated a preliminary safeguard measures investigation into the importation of pork, as the rising entry of foreign pork continues to threaten the country’s hog industry.

The probe will determine whether higher tariffs or import restrictions are needed to protect the local industry.

“We are moving heaven and earth to see how we can restrict the inflow of pork for a limited time period so that the industry can grow again and not suffer losses,” Tiu Laurel said.

He added that any decision to impose import restrictions would be subject to legal review and other government approvals.

The Tariff Commission (TC) is currently reviewing a petition by the DA to raise the tariffs on imported pork meat to protect the local industry.

Local hog producers have stressed that the influx of imported pork has caused the continued decline of farmgate prices, causing farmers to face mounting income losses.

The country’s pork imports expanded by five percent to 602,655 metric tons as of August, according to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel said the agency will continue to take minimum access volume (MAV) applications for 2027, despite the ongoing TC hearing.

“It cannot be limited, it cannot be stopped or suspended. It’s an agreement between countries, that there is a minimum access volume that the country has to make available to its trading partners,” he added.

The DA has opened MAV applications for key commodities including pork, poultry, corn, chipping potatoes and coffee beans.

The MAV mechanism is a trade commitment under the World Trade Organization that allows a specific volume of agricultural products to enter the country at lower tariff rates.