Philippines: Mechanically Separated Poultry Tariffs Reduced
On June 13, 2019, President Duterte issued Executive Order No. 82 (EO 82), reverting tariff rates for Mechanically Deboned or Mechanically Separated Poultry (MDM/MSP) to 5 percent for chicken and 20 percent for frozen whole turkey. These rates had previously jumped to 40 percent as a result of the recent passage of the Rice Tariffication Law, but will now remain at the lower tariff until December 31, 2020. Executive Order No. 20, issued in 2017, prescribes the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Tariff Schedule until December 31, 2020. A new MFN tariff schedule, which will include MDM/MSP, is expected to be released before the end of 2020, setting tariff rates for all products.