BACOLOD CITY — Small hog raisers in Bacolod City are asking local officials to investigate what they describe as unusually low buying prices for live pigs, saying the situation is putting their livelihoods at risk as the swine industry continues to reel from African swine fever (ASF), high production costs and market pressures.
The Bacolod Backyard Hog Raisers submitted a letter to Mayor Greg Gasataya and the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod through Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Agrarian Concerns, seeking an independent and transparent investigation into liveweight hog pricing in the city.
The group alleged that some traders have been buying live hogs for as little as ₱120 per kilogram, a price they say is substantially below levels being sought by hog producers in other parts of Negros Occidental.
The raisers want the city government to examine how farmgate prices are determined, the gap between what farmers receive and what consumers eventually pay, weighing practices, transaction records and compliance with existing regulations.
They also raised questions about trading arrangements at the Bacolod slaughterhouse. However, these allegations have not been independently established, and the requested investigation is intended to determine whether legitimate market factors or potentially unfair practices are behind the price disparity.
₱120 vs. ₱165: Why the price gap is drawing attention
The complaint comes as hog prices across Negros Occidental remain under severe pressure.
The Provincial Local Price Coordinating Council (PLPCC) recently recommended minimum reference prices for selected swine products, including ₱165 per kilogram for live finisher hogs, ₱200 for starter hogs, ₱100 for culled sows and ₱2,700 per piglet. For slaughtered products, the council recommended ₱200 per kilogram for carcasses and ₱270 per kilogram for pork.
Those recommendations, however, do not automatically apply to Bacolod City, which is a highly urbanized city with its own local government jurisdiction.
The difference has nevertheless become a major concern among producers.
Recent reports from other outlets indicate that hog raisers elsewhere in Negros Occidental have also been receiving extremely low farmgate prices. The Alliance of Hog Raisers Association of Negros Occidental said liveweight prices in some areas had fallen to around ₱110 to ₱120 per kilogram, with some localities reaching only ₱125 to ₱130. The group has called for a price level of roughly ₱160 to ₱170 per kilogram to help producers remain viable.
Ric Lauron, president of the hog raisers’ alliance, said producers need approximately ₱140 to ₱150 per kilogram simply to break even, underscoring the financial pressure facing small operators.
ASF remains a major factor
The pricing controversy is unfolding while Negros Occidental continues to deal with renewed African swine fever outbreaks.
Provincial authorities confirmed ASF cases in the province earlier this year, prompting local governments to intensify surveillance, quarantine and biosecurity measures. Bacolod itself has also strengthened its ASF defenses and reconstituted its city task force to prevent the disease from entering the highly urbanized city.
Philstar.com reported that provincial veterinary data showed 2,338 hog deaths attributed to ASF across 17 localities, representing 2.57% of the combined hog population in the affected areas.
ASF does not infect humans, but it can cause devastating losses for hog producers because infected pigs can die at high rates and affected areas may face restrictions on animal movement and trading.
Other LGUs are already stepping in
The crisis has prompted several local governments in Negros Occidental to take measures aimed at protecting hog raisers.
According to the Philippine News Agency, Talisay City has been enforcing minimum prices of ₱170 per kilogram for live hogs, ₱240 for carcasses and ₱270 for retail pork.
Himamaylan City has set minimum buying prices of ₱170 per kilogram for live hogs, ₱230 for carcasses and ₱250 for retail pork, while Hinoba-an has prescribed ₱170 per kilogram for finisher hogs, ₱200 for carcasses and ₱250 for pork cuts.
Sagay City has also established reference prices for pork and carcasses.
The measures show that the issue is no longer limited to individual farmers—it has become a broader concern for the region’s swine industry.
Pork imports add another layer of pressure
Hog raisers are also facing competition from imported pork.
The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry previously warned that increased pork import allocations could put additional pressure on local producers, particularly because imported products can enter the market at prices that may be difficult for domestic raisers to match.
Business leaders have called for stronger government assistance for local producers, including support for feeds, medicines, piglets and other production expenses.
For small backyard raisers, the combination of disease outbreaks, high input costs, weak farmgate prices and competition from imported pork creates a difficult operating environment.
What happens next?
The Bacolod hog raisers are now asking the city government to gather actual transaction data from farmers and traders and determine whether the reported price differences can be explained by normal market conditions—or whether further regulatory action may be warranted.
Councilor Sayson confirmed that the concern has already been brought before the Sangguniang Panlungsod and referred for appropriate action.
For the farmers, however, the issue is bigger than the price of pork.
They say fair and transparent farmgate pricing could determine whether small hog raisers remain in business—or abandon the industry altogether.
And with other Negros LGUs already moving to establish minimum prices, pressure is now building on Bacolod officials to determine whether the city’s hog market needs its own intervention.
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