Philippine agriculture chief supports bid to raise pork import tariffs
The department is seeking a 40 per cent tariff and a two-month import holiday, while industry group SINAG wants a 120-day suspension.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has endorsed Philippine hog raisers’ demands for higher duties on imported pork. His department said it is pursuing tariff increases and temporary import restrictions to address producers’ losses amid cheaper imports and declining farmgate prices.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said two petitions remain under review after two hearings: one filed in August concerning pork jowls, and another submitted in September seeking a 40 per cent pork tariff. Any tariff adjustment requires action involving the Tariff Commission and other government agencies, rather than the DA alone.
Tiu Laurel said the department hopes to suspend sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances, likely from mid-November once legally permitted. This would stop imports of selected pork cuts through January 2027. Processors’ requirements would also be assessed, with exemptions considered where warranted.
According to the DA, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) is seeking tariffs of 30 per cent on in-quota pork imports and 40 per cent on shipments outside the quota. Its proposed 120-day import suspension differs from the department’s request for a two-month holiday.
The Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines puts the sector’s daily losses from imported frozen pork at ₱350 million. The DA said it is also pursuing a general safeguard measures investigation into increasing pork imports, which could bring a longer import ban.
