Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered tighter monitoring of supermarkets and wet markets to ensure proper handling and labeling of frozen meat, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) moves to safeguard both consumers and local producers.
Tiu Laurel directed the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) to conduct inspections nationwide to check compliance with food safety and fair trade regulations.
“Frozen meat must be properly labeled and stored,” Tiu Laurel said. “Retailers cannot pass off frozen products as fresh. Food safety and fair trade are non-negotiable.”
The order coincides with efforts by the DA and local hog producers to stabilize pork prices and support raisers reeling from declining farmgate rates. The agency and industry groups have agreed to set a minimum farmgate price of P210 per kilo for live hogs, up from the current range of P150 to P180 per kilo, which producers say is below cost.
Tiu Laurel noted that while hog farmers are losing money, retail pork prices remain high, with liempo still averaging around P400 per kilo. “Farmgate prices have dropped sharply, yet consumers haven’t felt any relief. This imbalance needs to be addressed,” he said, suggesting the re-implementation of a maximum suggested retail price on pork.
Industry groups—the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI), and Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines (PROPORK)—also backed the call to restore pork import tariffs to 40 percent from the current 25 percent under Executive Order 62, saying lower duties have encouraged over-importation and squeezed local producers.
The DA is also studying a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork and will issue an administrative circular reclassifying pork jowls, currently treated as offal that are imposed lower import tax, to apply higher tariff amid rising demand from processors and restaurant operators.
According to the DA, these measures aim to bring transparency to the meat market, protect consumers, and help restore profitability to local hog raisers amid persistent price volatility.
