British Chamber backs higher pork imports amid ASF

The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) welcomes stakeholder discussions on the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Executive Order No. 116, mandating the increase of minimum access volume (MAV) for pork meat from 54,210 metric tons (MT) to 204,210 MT to ensure fair competition and compliance with allocations. 

In an interview, BCCP Executive Vice Chairman Chris Nelson reiterated its support for the EO and cited the recent reported cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Negros Occidental, with approximately 500 hog deaths reported in the southern Negros town, three years after a previous swine disease outbreak killed thousands of hogs across the province.

Nelson said that, “We have not been involved with the discussions yet but we would like to give our inputs on that. We have been advocating for increasing the minimum access volume... The pig herds are now at their lowest level since 1994... Imported pork is very important in terms of security and inflation and we would like to give our input on how the IRR will be…”

The Philippines' swine population fell to its lowest first-quarter level in more than three decades, highlighting the continuing impact of African Swine Fever on the country's hog industry.

As of June 5, 2026, the National ASF Prevention and Control Program reported five regions, seven provinces, seven cities/municipalities, and eight barangays with active African Swine Fever cases in the Philippines.

Preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the national hog inventory declined by 1.5% to 8.70 million heads in the first quarter of 2026, down from 8.84 million heads a year earlier. The figure marks the lowest first-quarter inventory since 1994, when the country's swine population stood at 8.46 million heads.

The continued contraction in domestic hog production has coincided with rising imports of meat products, including from the United Kingdom. Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry's National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division showed that imports of meat and meat products from the UK reached 7.44 million kilograms as of April 2026, up 180 percent from the same period last year, which is at 2.66 million kilograms.

Meanwhile, data from the UK's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) indicated that British pig meat exports to the Philippines totaled 6,981 tonnes from January to April 2026, representing an 8.6% year-on-year increase.

The Philippines remained one of the key destinations for UK pork exports in Asia during the period.

Other bilateral and regional trading arrangements and mechanisms such as the UK-Philippines Joint Economic and Trade Committee, Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and interest to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are also recognized to further strengthen agricultural cooperation.

Disclaimer: This is externally supplied material from a third party and is not a product of reporting or editorial work by the Philstar.com newsroom.