THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said that it is considering a subsidy for African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccines to be distributed to backyard hog farmers.
“We have talked about this in the DA. This would depend on the availability of our funds… we are already spending a lot, especially on hog repopulation,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Poultry and Swine Constance J. Palabrica told reporters on Thursday.
Hog farmers have been batting for a more affordable ASF vaccine to minimize the impact on production costs, which could flow on to consumer prices.
The government has yet to release an official price for the ASF vaccine from Vietnam, pending the approval of a commercial rollout.
“It could be subsidized depending on the study of the DA. It would be for backyard (hog farmers) because they cannot afford it. The large farms will not be subsidized,” Mr. Palabrica added.
The DA has allocated P350 million to procure 600,000 doses of ASF vaccine for limited release in test conditions during the quarter.
He said that five other companies have expressed interest in applying for vaccine certification from the Food and Drug Administration.
He said the companies are from the US, Vietnam, South Korea, and Thailand.
“They have a process to go through because we cannot approve it until we go through (it)… and prove that they could be effective,” Mr. Palabrica said.
Additionally, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said it will need to collect blood samples before injecting the vaccine, which can be used only on healthy animals.
“Only healthy pigs will be vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus and minimize possible virus mutation,” the BAI said in a statement.
It added that local government units will be tasked with validating that biosecurity measures at hog farmers meet government standards before the vaccine is administered. — Adrian H. Halili
