Hog raisers back pork import curbs to support swine industry recovery

By Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel, Reporter

HOG RAISERS said limits on pork imports will be crucial in helping the swine herd recover, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) ramps up hog repopulation efforts.

“We will increase our production definitely because the government has a repopulation fund. But if excessive imports remain, farmers will lose because they (will have to sell) below production cost,” Alfred Ng, vice chairman of the National Federation of Hog Raisers, told reporters on the sidelines of the International Farmers Summit in Pasay City on Thursday.

He said that even if the DA distributes breeder gilts, hog raisers will be reluctant to expand production if they continue to incur losses.

Mr. Ng said hog prices on a liveweight basis dropped in recent months due to record pork imports that hit 850 million kilos in 2025.

“This is the first time in my history of farming that liveweight prices did not increase in December and January despite the usual increase in pork consumption during the holiday season,” he said.

He said the surge in imports dampened prices even during the peak demand period, squeezing producers who are still reeling from the impact of African Swine Fever (ASF).

Hog raisers are urging the government to limit imports to fill the projected supply deficit and restore higher tariffs on pork products.

“We appeal to the DA to help us in (bringing the tariff back) to its original position of 35% to 45% (from 15% to 25% currently). This will level the playing field and give a better chance for farmers to compete,” he told the summit’s plenary session.

The DA has been pushing a multi-year repopulation program to rebuild the hog inventory, which was severely depleted by ASF.

Swine numbers totaled 8.79 million head in the fourth quarter, one of the lowest levels since the pre-ASF population of about 13 million in 2019.

The DA plans to distribute more than 200,000 breeder gilts by 2028, with about 40,000 expected this year.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock Constante J. Palabrica told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that the government is targeting a herd increase of 1 million hogs per year.

“There will be a rebound this year, but it will be far from pre-ASF levels. Pigs take a long time to repopulate (because of their) long gestation period,” he added.

Despite repopulation efforts, Mr. Palabrica said completely eradicating ASF will be difficult.

“Not in our lifetime. This is a very hard virus. That’s why I have always been fighting for the vaccination. You can have biosecurity, but you should also have vaccination,” he said.

Mr. Palabrica said four ASF vaccine suppliers are currently seeking approval for commercial use, with the DA hoping that at least one vaccine will be cleared this year.

“This is a long process because we have to be very careful. Hopefully, one or two can be used this year. The Chulalongkorn DNA can be approved this year, because it is not a live vaccine,” he said, referring to a candidate vaccine developed by researchers at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University.