The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has approved the commercial sale of an African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine from Vietnam, giving a boost to the government’s campaign against the animal disease.
On Wednesday, September 2, BAI said that AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Co. developed the ASF-approved vaccine, a live, attenuated, gene-deleted freeze-dried vaccine designed to protect pigs against the ASF virus.
“The availability of a commercially approved ASF vaccine is crucial to our repopulation program,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
“It gives hog raisers another tool to protect healthy animals as we work to rebuild the industry and secure a more stable supply of pork,” the agriculture chief added.
Agriculture Undersecretary Constante Palabrica said a second vaccine, PROVAC from South Korea, is undergoing testing by BAI, which could provide another option for local hog raisers by next year.
Likewise, Palabrica said he has requested P1 billion in funding next year to subsidize ASF vaccination programs for backyard pig farms, potentially making the vaccine more accessible to smaller producers.
Additionally, the government approved the commercial release of the ASF vaccine after the first ASF outbreak in 2019, which caused billions in losses and significantly reduced the country’s hog production since then.
Data from BAI showed that ASF outbreaks have reached 76 of the Philippines’ 82 provinces as of writing. (Jordeene B. Lagare © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
