MANILA — The Department of Agriculture said it is withdrawing its price guidance or maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork.

The DA said it was doing this on the request of industry players who were struggling to comply with the order amid the recent surge in African Swine Fever (ASF) cases.

“While the industry tried to comply with the MSRP, the severe shortage in swine production due to ASF, combined with strong consumer demand, has made it increasingly difficult to keep pork prices down,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

The Agriculture chief said the government was looking at other measures to bring down prices. Meanwhile, he urged consumers to instead buy chicken, fish and beef.

“We urge our consumers to buy other protein sources instead, or frozen pork that are a lot cheaper than freshly slaughtered hogs. We will soon implement a new solution to lower prices,” he said.

The DA said the MSRP was "to reflect fair value across the supply chain while shielding consumers from excessive markups." The agency initially set the pork MSRP at P380 per kilo for liempo, P350 for pigue and kasim, and P300 for sabit-ulo (fresh carcass).

"Nevertheless, retail pork prices have remained high, with industry groups pointing to the ASF resurgence as a key factor disrupting supply and dampening production," the DA said.

A commercial rollout of an ASF vaccine has been planned but is still awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration, The DA said once the vaccine is widely available, it will implement a repopulation plan that should bring back domestic production to pre-ASF levels by 2028.