SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to take decisive action against excessive meat importations, predatory pricing, and agricultural smuggling, warning that local hog farmers are selling livestock at severe losses while consumer retail prices remain high.
Speaking during a Senate hearing on the DA’s proposed 2027 budget, Zubiri directly challenged Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to adopt an aggressive stance against traders and importers exploiting the domestic pork industry.
‘Ilabas mo iyong galit mo sa mga predatory pricing, pati iyong mga smugglers. Labanan mo, huwag ka matakot. [Show your anger toward those engaged in predatory pricing and smugglers. Fight them. Don’t be afraid],’ Zubiri urged Laurel.
In response to the growing pressure, Laurel disclosed during the hearing that the government is considering temporary trade restrictions to stabilize the local market.
‘I can suspend imports of kasim [pork shoulder], pigue [ham], and belly for 60 days or stop the issuance of new SPSICs [Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances],’ Laurel said.
SPSICs are required health and safety permits issued for agricultural imports.
Zubiri welcomed the prospective freeze, saying it would provide much-needed breathing room for local raisers overwhelmed by cheap imports and mounting feed and fuel expenses.
The call for intervention follows mounting distress among hog raisers in Bukidnon and other key agricultural provinces. According to figures presented by Zubiri, live hog farmgate prices have plummeted from P185 per kilogram in 2024 to between P90 and P120 per kilogram-well below the estimated average production cost of P130 to P140 per kilo.
Zubiri highlighted that small-scale backyard farmers-who make up 80 percent of the country’s pork producers-are bearing the brunt of the crisis.
‘Only 20 percent are large-scale producers, and these big companies can survive even if they incur some losses,’ Zubiri lamented. ‘But our farmers, who make up 80 percent of the sector, are really suffering.’
Zubiri raised questions regarding the steep gap between the prices paid to local farmers and the cost of pork in public markets. While live hogs in Mindanao yield as little as P100 per kilogram to farmers, retail prices for cuts like pork belly (liempo) reach as high as P380 per kilo in urban centers.
‘They don’t understand why market prices are so high when they are receiving very low farmgate prices. It really blows the mind,’ Zubiri said, calling on trade and agriculture inspectors to return to public markets to crack down on middleman markups and price manipulation.
Beyond temporary import curbs, Zubiri stressed that visible government enforcement is critical to ensure backyard raisers survive the prolonged downturn.