Daily Tribune‘One of the things discussed was how to harmonize the procedures and the approval processes to make sure that the criteria used by the Bureau of Animal Industry and the FDA are in order.’
(FILES) The African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, with a high mortality rate.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that it recently convened a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration to discuss possible vaccines for African swine fever and avian influenza.
FDA Director General Dr. Samuel A. Zacate and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. met on Thursday at the DA’s Head Office in Quezon City.
During the Private Sector Advisory Council health sector group meeting last February, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the fast-tracking of the procurement of veterinary medicines, including those for ASF and AI viruses.
“One of the things discussed was how to harmonize the procedures and the approval processes to make sure that the criteria used by the Bureau of Animal Industry and the FDA are in order,” DA spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said.
The processes on the procurement had been transferred from BAI to the FDA.
According to the FDA, also tackled in the meeting was the enhancement of border control in coordination with the Bureau of Customs to prevent the entry of illegal food products that may endanger the general public and the industry.
The DA recently vowed to revitalize the Philippine hog industry as well as expedite its recovery from the spread of ASF.
