Local meat farming advocates are holding Malacañang to its promise not to use the local livestock an poultry sectors  as a bargaining chip in the ongoing international trade talks with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to extend limits on rice imported into the country.
Malacañang in an effort to stave off a  flood of imported rice is currently in talks with the WTO and is trying to convince the trade body to extend the limits on  Philippine imports of rice known as  “quantitative restrictions” (QR), which has been enjoyed by country since June 2006.
The restrictions on rice imports which ended last June 30 had allowed the government some control in protecting local rice producers and consumers from the influx of imported rice by allowing the government to impose higher tariffs on rice imports beyond a certain volume.  
The US however has opposed the Philippine government’s plea for extending the restriction on rice imports until 2015, claiming that  Philippine  regulations on imported meats already pose a threat to the their exports of pork to the country. More than half of the Philippine’s pork imports come from the US and Canada.
The US wants the Department of Agriculture (DA) to rescind its administrative orders on the handling of frozen and freshly slaughtered meat which the Americans claimed were heavily lopsided against imported meat products.
“We thank you very much  for your verbal assurance that the livestock and poultry sectors will not be used as bargaining chips in the renegotiation for another extension on the quantitative restriction for rice.” Swine Development Council and partylist group Abono head Rosendo So said in a July 11 letter to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.
Earlier reports said the DA offered the five-percent pork tariff during international trade talks to extend the QR on rice until 2017. Easing the tariff on imported meats seriously endanger the local backyard hog raisers, So warned.
Local farm groups also want the government to restore the tariff on imported pork offal to 40 percent to discourage pork smuggling. Intentionally declaring prime meat as offal to avail of lower tariffs is regularly used by meat smuggers, So said.
“We strongly appeal to you not to use the livestock and poultry sector as a bargaining chip in the renegotiation for qualitative restriction  on rice.” Abono’s So said in May 30 letter.
“We believe agriculture is the primary engine for economic growth of the people in the countryside,” So said, citing that in the past “livestock and poultry sectors were used as bargaining chips when the government negotiated for an extension on the quantitative restriction on rice where tariff on livestock and poultry products were made too low to the detriment of the industry.”
He bewailed that “livelihood, jobs and government revenues were lost due to the low tariff on the said products.” So said, adding that  they strongly opposed  the livestock and poultry reduction/ elimination of applied tariff on meat of swine,goat, swine liver, meat and edible offal of poultry, pig fat, yogurt, processed cheese, sausages and other prepared meat.
The QR  on rice allows the Philippines to impose higher tariffs on rice imports than  the mininum access volume (MAV). Imports of rice within the MAV are subject to a 40-percent duty while imports in excess are slapped a 50-percent rate.
Among the countries with interest on the rice trade are the US, Australia, Canada, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.