The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura on Wednesday urged the government to act fast on the smuggling of meat and other agricultural products.
In a statement, Sinag said that on pork alone, a total of 100,000 backyard raisers already lost their livelihood due to smuggling since 2010.
The group earlier warned that hog raisers are already planning a five-day pork holiday to dramatize the killing of the livestock industry.
“What is five days compared to the 365 days that our backyard growers are suffering,” said Sinag chairman Rosendo So.
“The backyard growers have been forced to the wall, in fact they are asking for a pork holiday since November last year. We are just echoing their call,” So said.
Sinag said the farmgate price of pork is at P85 to P90 per kilogram which barely exceeds the expenses of backyard raisers.
“The backyard raisers are the ones calling for a pork holiday. We are just supporting and echoing their call,” So said.
So said the President should immediately sign the approved bill that defines agri smuggling as an act that constitutes economic sabotage.
He added that the government should also strictly implement the quarantine first policy as embodied in the Republic Act 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013.
“ The Tariff Commission and the Committee on Tariff and Related Matters of the National Economic and Development Authority should immediately increase the tariff for offal, rind, skin fats and mechanically separated meat from 5 percent to 30 to 40 percent,” So said.