The Department of Agriculture (DA) is taking decisive action to prevent a potential egg shortage and price hike, Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Friday.
The initiative comes in response to concerns over supply disruptions stemming from industry losses last year and to avert a crisis similar to what the United States is facing, where a bird flu outbreak led to the culling of millions of egg-laying chickens, causing significant shortages.
He said while the Philippines has not yet experienced a widespread bird flu outbreak, the country could face an egg supply shortage by April 2025.
A combination of oversupply and weak demand caused egg prices to drop in 2024, leading many local producers to cull their egg-laying hens.
This reduced the population of egg layers, potentially impacting future supply.
The DA said it is fast-tracking the importation of egg-laying chickens to address this and is pushing for the swift approval of avian influenza vaccines by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The agency is also working to secure P300 million in funding, as requested by the National Livestock Program, for vaccine testing.
It said mass vaccination could begin as early as March.
“We still have time, and there’s a good chance we can avert this situation,” Tiu Laurel said, calling on financial institutions like Land Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines to extend funding to support the industry’s repopulation efforts.