Swine, chicken producers to meet with DA chief

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – Commercial and backyard swine and chicken producers are set to meet today with Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to demand a temporary but total embargo on pork and chicken imports amid a glut in the market carried over from the Arroyo administration.

“From last January to July, our pork imports total about 115 million kilos. This already exceeds the total of 114 million kilos for the entire 2009,” Rep. Nicanor Briones of the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (ASAP) party-list told The STAR yesterday. He said he will be among those who would meet with Alcala today to press for the freeze on imports.

Briones noted that since January chicken imports have already reached 67 million kilos as against only 62 million kilos in 2009.

“These imports were approved during the last months of the Arroyo administration and it was only during the administration of President Aquino that they are flooding the market, since it takes about 45 to 60 days for the goods to reach us from the time they were approved for importation,” he said, adding that there is no more reason to import because imported pork and chicken are already abundant and they are killing the local industry.

Briones said the delegation that would meet with Alcala today will include officials of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, the Poultry Raisers Association of the Philippines, and groups from backyard animal raisers from various regions.

He said the government continues to lose heavily through misdeclaration of agricultural imports. He said that of the 115 million kilos of pork imported this year, about 50 percent were misdeclared as fat, internal organs or pork skin so as to skirt payment of higher taxes.

“The government imposes only five percent tax on these parts, and 35 percent on the fleshy parts of pork,” he noted.

Briones also estimated that about 50 percent of the 67 million kilos of chicken were also misdeclared as chicken feet or other parts of chicken entitled to lower tariff.

“I think the issuance of import permits on these products should be at the level of the Agriculture secretary himself and not just the Bureau of Animal Industry. There have been unfortunate developments in this area,” he said.

Briones also urged the Bureau of Customs to cleanse its list of importers to make sure they are not using fictitious names and addresses.

He said he will ask the government to impose suggested retail prices on pork and chicken amid reports that the high cost of meat in the market is not based on their live farm gate market price, but on the dictates of retailers and traders.