Pork Farmgate Price Decline Blamed on ASF Fears, Not Imports - DA Chief

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said pork imports did not cause a decline in farmgate prices, but blamed a rush to sell hogs due to fears of another outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF). In a statement, Mr. Laurel said hog raisers increased their herds last year in response to high prices, but engaged in forced selling during the wet season because of fears of another ASF outbreak. “Rather than risk getting hit by ASF, or having an outbreak occur next door, they wanted to sell everything,” Mr. Laurel said. Mr. Laurel said in Mindanao, hog prices fell despite minimal volumes of imported pork entering the region. An investigation conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) concluded that the price decline was mainly due the rush to sell their animals. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that pork production rose 5.6% to 412,280 metric tons (MT), while average farmgate prices dropped nearly 19% year on year to P172.44 per kilogram. The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) projected pork import volumes in 2026 to decline by around 500,000 MT from 851,760 MT a year earlier, saying food processor imports had inflated the year-earlier base. The BAI added that domestic production is also rising. Mr. Laurel said the BAI’s approval of an ASF vaccine from Vietnam, AVAC ASF LIVE, for commercial sale should encourage hog raisers to expand production in the coming months, which could help stabilize domestic supply and reduce import dependence. The DA said the government is also building the country’s first ASF vaccine manufacturing laboratory at Central Luzon State University in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, with completion expected next year. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza