DA seeks chicken imports, vaccine approval to avert possible egg shortage in April

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture is scrambling to import egg-laying chickens and pressing the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track the approval of avian flu vaccines to avoid an egg supply shortage.

The agency is also pushing to secure P300 million for vaccine testing under the National Livestock Program, with mass inoculation possibly starting in March.

These urgent moves come as the United States grapples with a bird flu outbreak. Although the Philippines has yet to face a similar crisis, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. warned of a possible egg shortage by April.

“We still have time, so there is a chance we could avert this,” Laurel said, urging financial institutions, including Land Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines, to provide funding to support the industry’s repopulation efforts.

In 2024, oversupply and weak demand drove down egg prices, prompting producers to cull layers, sharply reducing the population of egg-laying hens.

Meanwhile, Philippine Egg Board Association president Francis Uyehara said in an interview with DZBB on Friday, January 31, that they do not foresee an egg shortage based on their projections. In fact, Uyehara anticipated an oversupply.

The department is also facing rising rice prices, with the Philippine government considering declaring a food emergency within February. – Rappler.com