To support Filipino hog raisers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is seeking to restore pre-African swine fever (ASF) tariff levels for imported pork through staggered increase.
The proposal follows the agency’s discussions with industry stakeholders, who called for the move as farmgate pork prices continue to drop.
In an interview, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he has raised the matter to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and lodged a separate request to the Tariff Commission.
“Clearly, we have to support ‘yung growth ng ating (of our) hog industry. So, we have to do something about importation,” he said.
“Ang final common recommendation natin at isusulong natin hangga’t kaya ay ‘yung pag-increase ng taripa ng baboy (Our final recommendation and what we will push for as long as we can the increase of tariff for pork).”
The DA chief said they have proposed the initial return from 25 percent to 35 percent tariff.
“Then by Jan. 1, hopefully 40 percent, back to dating (the original) rate. So, that alone can help,” Tiu Laurel said.
As of August, farmgate prices of pork dropped to P150 per kilogram, much lower than P215 per kilogram in June 2025.
In addition to the rate hikes, the DA is seeking a tariff line for frozen pork jowls.
The item has become a major import product due to its lower tariff treatment, increasingly competing with local pork in the retail and food service sectors.
Other proposed measures from industry groups are “time-bound quantitative restrictions, local shipping permits and testing for imported frozen meat, tighter scrutiny of shipments declared under lower tariff categories, and an updated reference value for imported meat to avoid undervaluation.”
The DA initiated the open dialogue with Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines president Eric Harina, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura president Rosendo So, National Federation of Hog Farmers vice chair Alfred Ng, and AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones.PNA
