Pork import restriction will cause meat shortage – PAMPI

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) has warned that restricting meat imports from countries believed to have cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) will cause a shortage of raw materials for the meat processing industry and push up prices of meat products in the country.

In a letter to Rep. Agapito Guanlao, chairman of the House of Representatives special committee on food security last March 5, PAMPI president Felix Tiukinhoy Jr. said government control measures should not to disturb import arrangements for pork raw materials which are still not available from local sources.

“Already, we are observing the reduction of piglets in the market and observing the incredible increase in prices of live weight pigs at an average price of P122 per kilo, suggestive of upcoming shortages of pork supply,” Tiukinhoy said.

“Filipino consumers depend very heavily on pork and pork products and pushing food prices to unaffordable levels will create an unimaginable stress on our nutrition, purchasing capacity, and can precipitate political unrest,” Tiukinhoy said.

PAMPI was reacting to a proposal from local hog raisers who asked the government to ban the importation of pork meat from country sources known to be infected with the corona virus or PED.