HOG FARMERS are urging the government to implement tighter biosecurity measures to help curb the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Philippines as they wait for the government’s approval for the commercial use of a vaccine.
“For now, we push for the strictest biosecurity, based on their capacities, of all our hog raisers,” Alfred Ng, vice-chairman of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. said in a Viber message.
“We support the announcement of the DA (Department of Agriculture) of controlled vaccination trials with strict monitoring as we do not want the indiscriminate use of vaccine as it is still being tested,” Mr. Ng added. “We all want to have an ASF vaccine soon, but it should be one that has passed all guidelines set forth by experts.”
The decision to use these vaccines should also be left to hog raisers based on their own appreciation of their safety and efficacy, he said.
There were 20 municipalities across nine provinces with active cases of ASF as of July 12, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Last week, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel V. de Mesa said the government has allocated about P350 million for the procurement of ASF vaccines for a trial run.
He added that the vaccine for controlled vaccination is expected by September after getting approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
“If the results are favorable, then commercial vaccination will follow,” Mr. De Mesa said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. earlier said the ASF vaccine to be tested by the government would be procured from Vietnam.
Leonardo Q. Montemayor, chairman of the Federation of Free Farmers, said the ASF vaccine from Vietnam is only being used by their local farmers.
“To my knowledge, no other country is vaccinating its hogs,” Mr. Montemayor said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
He added that the government should exercise due diligence and caution before approving an ASF vaccine for commercial use.
Meanwhile, the government should also fast-track the construction of First Border Inspection sites that will examine all refrigerated containers that will enter the country, Mr. Ng said.
The DA plans to put up these facilities, which are meant to ensure imported agricultural goods are disease-free and minimize smuggling risks, in Bulacan, Manila, Subic, and General Santos.
Imported agri-fishery products need to undergo examination by food regulators overseeing the animal, plant, meat, and fisheries industries.
Meanwhile, the DA’s Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) program aims to increase the population of hogs in ASF-hit areas.
Under the modified INSPIRE program, the repopulation program will now focus on the construction of multiplier facilities and production farms using artificial insemination.
Hog production declined 4.3% year on year to 419,370 metric tons in the first quarter, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed. — A.H. Halili
