The BCCP says Executive Order No. 116 will bolster UK-Philippines trade ties and ease pork supply shortfalls caused by ASF.

The British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (BCCP) has endorsed the Marcos administration’s decision to raise the country’s pork minimum access volume (MAV) from 54,210 metric tons (MT) to 204,210 MT, a near-fourfold increase formalised last week under Executive Order No. 116.

The order was issued to secure pork supply following years of disruption from African swine fever (ASF), which has weighed heavily on domestic hog production. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the higher quota would also stimulate market competition and help reduce consumer prices.

BCCP executive vice chair Chris Nelson said the expansion represented “an important step toward strengthening the UK-Philippines bilateral trade and the country’s overall food security efforts.” The chamber said it had backed an MAV increase since 2023, citing population growth, ASF-related supply constraints and food inflation as the drivers. Nelson had previously called for a raise to between 75,000 MT and 80,000 MT.

The UK is already an active supplier to the Philippines. Bureau of Animal Industry data show that the United Kingdom exported 3,229 MT of meat to the country in the first two months of 2026, with pork accounting for 2,656 MT of that total.

Not all stakeholders are in agreement. Local hog raisers and traders have opposed the measure, arguing it favours a small group of importers and risks displacing domestic producers through unfair competition.

Under the MAV scheme, introduced in 1996, pork imports within the quota are taxed at 15%, while volumes above the threshold attract a 25% duty.

See original article here.