Philippines' Agriculture Department to Seek P1 Billion in 2027 Funds for Smallholder ASF Vaccine Rollout
Key Takeaways
- •The Philippine Department of Agriculture intends to seek a P1-billion budget allocation for 2027 to fund African Swine Fever vaccines for smallholder pig farmers.
- •Government vaccine distribution will prioritize smallholder raisers, who are least able to purchase vaccines commercially, rather than farmers who can afford them.
- •AVAC ASF LIVE, the first commercially approved ASF vaccine, has already been imported into the Philippines, marking a shift from culling-based containment toward preventive immunization.
- •A second ASF vaccine application from South Korea is nearing regulatory approval but may not be completed this year, according to agriculture officials.
- •ASF outbreaks reported in 76 of the country's 82 provinces have reduced the hog population from about 13 million head in 2019 to roughly eight million, shrinking the pork supply base.
MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it plans to request a P1-billion budget allocation for 2027 to fund African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccines for distribution to smallholder pig farmers in the Philippines.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel V. de Mesa said government distribution would be targeted rather than universal. "We will not distribute to those who can afford (vaccines); our priority is the smallholders," he told reporters. The targeting reflects the reality that small raisers are the least equipped to buy vaccines commercially, and they make up a substantial share of the country's hog production.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boar that is not known to affect humans. With no widely available treatment, containment efforts have relied mainly on culling infected animals and biosecurity measures.
Mr. de Mesa said AVAC ASF LIVE, the first commercially approved ASF vaccine, has already been imported into the country. Its availability moves the response beyond culling-led containment toward preventive immunization, with the proposed 2027 funding intended to put the vaccine within reach of farms least able to buy it themselves.
A pending application for a second vaccine from South Korea might not clear regulatory review this year, he added.
"I don't know if the Korean application can be completed by the year, but the last I checked with Agriculture Undersecretary Constante J. Palabrica, it is nearing approval. He told me that after the AVAC vaccine, the Korean vaccine will follow after a few months," Mr. de Mesa said. A second approval would add another vaccine option to the program.
According to the Bureau of Animal Industry, ASF outbreaks have been reported in 76 of the Philippines' 82 provinces. The disease has cut the national hog population to around eight million head from about 13 million when the outbreak first hit in 2019, through animal deaths and culls. The loss of roughly five million head — more than a third of the pre-outbreak herd — has shrunk the supply base behind pork, a staple protein in the Filipino diet. How the 2027 request moves through the budget process and whether the Korean vaccine clears its review are the near-term markers to watch for the pace of the smallholder rollout.
— Maria Mikaela H. Tormon, BusinessWorld
Source: BusinessWorld Online
