Seeking Tariff Relief for U.S. Pork in the Philippines
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The Philippine Tariff Commission is conducting a comprehensive review of its most favored nation (MFN) tariff schedule. USMEF filed comments in this proceeding, requesting that recent temporary reductions in the Philippines’ MFN tariff rates for imported pork be adopted long-term.
Erin Borror, USMEF vice president of economic analysis, explains that temporary reductions (from 30% to 15% in quota and 40% to 25% out of quota) implemented in mid-2021 have smoothed supply constraints and mitigated the impact of African swine fever in the Philippines. Long-term adoption of these tariff reductions would bolster pork consumption by easing the impacts of inflation on Philippine consumers.
USMEF cited South Korea as an example of a country in which tariffs on imported pork have been drastically reduced, yet domestic production has thrived. The full text of USMEF’s comments is available here.