PRESS RELEASE
23 March 2026

PCC sector brief recommends streamlining NTMs to boost meat sector competition

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has released its sector brief on non-tariff measures (NTMs) in the livestock and poultry subsectors. The brief analyzes how the enforcement of NTMs, if met with implementation challenges, could have a restrictive effect, which may drive up costs for importers and limit the supply of meat products.

As Filipinos continue to be one of the world’s fastest-growing meat consumers, the livestock and poultry subsectors remain vital to the country’s agriculture sector. This motivates the government to impose regulations that aim to ensure the safety and quality of meat products.

While NTMs serve legitimate policy objectives, the brief highlights that institutional and procedural imperfections in their implementation can make them function as non-tariff barriers, effectively impeding trade.

These issues encompass stringent and repetitive requirements as well as procedural delays, creating market uncertainty and affecting importers’ costs and ability to maintain supply.

To address these concerns, a coordinated policy shift among key regulators is recommended to identify opportunities for streamlining procedures and better aligning domestic regulations with international best practices, thereby easing private sector compliance.  

The full publication can be accessed at https://bit.ly/PCCMarketStudy2025-03.

The PCC sector brief is a specialized form of market study designed to provide a foundational background on select industries and explore potential interventions for the Commission’s advocacy and enforcement initiatives.

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REFERENCE:  
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph  
Public Affairs and Research Division
Communications and Knowledge Management Office
Philippine Competition Commission