Lawmaker bares 'midnight import' of chicken

MANILA, Philippines – A party-list congressman expressed concern over a looming protest from local poultry farmers over an alleged “midnight” importation of chicken choice parts that is now competing with their products in the local market.

Rep. Angelo Palmones, of Agham party-list told reporters during the recent Broadcasters Forum at the Hotel Rembrandt that the bulk of imported chicken parts were dumped into the country in June resulting to a surplus four million metric tons of chicken choice cuts that triggered the rapid decline of farm gate price of live chickens to a low of P58 per kilo. The break-even price for chicken production is P64.

Palmones said because of the bargain price of local poultry, farmers have threatened to suspend their operations to avoid more losses which may result to chicken shortage by the end of the year.

“If the problem is not addressed, there’s a possibility of a chicken-less Christmas by December,” Palmones said. He said the House Committee on Agriculture is set to conduct an inquiry into the ‘midnight importation’ which is now slowly killing the local poultry industry.

Palmones said the annual requirement for chicken in the country is only three million metric tons but as of yesterday the supply has ballooned to seven million metric tons.

Palmones said aside from killing the local poultry industry, importers of chicken parts are not paying any tax to the government because of the free trade agreement under the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The party-list congressman also said the so-called choice chicken parts flooding the local market are actually not marketed in countries of origin because it’s the parts where the vaccines and steroids are injected.

“The Philippines has become a dumping ground of this unwanted chicken parts,” he said.

He said the House probe would focus on the people behind the rush of importation shortly after former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term ended last June.

“This midnight importation is now wreaking havoc in the local poultry industry in the country,” Palmones said.

He said if the local farmer will stop raising broilers, the current stock would only last for a few months and by December there would no longer be available stocks in the local market.