HOG raisers finally have a new weapon against African Swine Fever (ASF) as the government approved the commercial sale of the country’s first ASF vaccine for fattening pigs.
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has cleared AVAC ASF LIVE, a live, attenuated vaccine developed by AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, for public sale.
The approval comes nearly seven years after ASF first hit the Philippines in 2019, devastating hog farms and shrinking the country’s swine population to around 8 million heads from about 13 million before the outbreak.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the vaccine is a crucial addition to the government’s efforts to rebuild the local hog industry.
“The availability of a commercially approved ASF vaccine is crucial to our repopulation program,” Tiu Laurel said.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock Constante J. Palabrica said another ASF vaccine, PROVAC from South Korea, is also undergoing BAI testing and could give hog raisers another option as early as next year.
ASF does not infect humans, but it can wipe out pig populations, forcing farmers to cull infected or exposed animals and suffer heavy losses.
The disease has already reached 76 of the country’s 82 provinces, hitting backyard raisers particularly hard because many lack the resources needed for strict biosecurity and recovery.
Palabrica said he has requested P1 billion in next year’s budget to help subsidize ASF vaccination programs, including for backyard hog farms.
The government plans to combine vaccination with disease surveillance, stricter biosecurity, movement controls and targeted restocking to bring the country’s swine population back to pre-ASF levels.
The crisis has also affected consumers, with the shrinking local hog herd contributing to pork supply gaps, increased imports and pressure on prices.
For hog raisers battered by years of ASF outbreaks, the vaccine may not be a magic cure—but it could be the biggest new weapon yet in the fight to bring the industry back to life.
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