DA lifts pork price cap due to low compliance and ASF

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Thursday that it has lifted the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork products due to low compliance and high demand during election season, at the request of industry players who argued that production remains constrained by African Swine Fever (ASF).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. acknowledged severe shortages caused by ASF, stating that the MSRP was difficult to maintain with only about 30% to 40% compliance since its implementation on March 10.

The DA is now focusing on buying hogs from farmers at P230 per kilo and distributing them to key slaughterhouses, while also increasing daily live hog procurement to 500 per day from the current 100 per day.

Undersecretary Constante Palabrica said that the DA is awaiting FDA approval for an ASF vaccine and aims to complete a locally-produced vaccine by 2028 to restore domestic production.

The DA also disclosed plans to intensify government sales of pork at cheaper prices amid the lifting of MSRP, with stakeholders such as ProPork and the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., requesting the lifting to allow for higher farmgate prices.