Meat processors laud gov’t vax, funds vs ASF

Meat processors laud gov’t vax, funds vs ASF | Daily Tribune

Members of the Pork Producers Federations of the Philippines Inc. (PPFPI) lauded the move of Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide the vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) by the third quarter.

PPFPI chairperson, also AGAP Partylist Representative Nikki Briones, in a briefing, said the move of DA and FDA is a good development for hog raisers badly battered by the ASF over the years.

“The move was a great help for our sector, especially that the vaccines will be given free. It’s a ray of hope for us,” Briones told reporters.

He said hog raisers will surely benefit from this, as 600,000 swine will be inoculated for free, utilizing a P350-million budget.

However, Briones said consumers should brace for the possible rise in meat prices if the free ASF vaccines run out.

“This means hog raisers will shoulder at least P550 to P600 per dose of vaccine for their swine, which is an added operational cost for them. So, prices of pork meat might rise in the coming months. But this can be averted if the government will add the budget to procure free vaccines,” according to Briones.

Vax vs bird flu needed

Briones, on the other hand, asked the government to also roll out vaccines for bird flu which has been hurting poultry owners in the country.

“If we can at least prevent these viruses from affecting the hog and poultry industry, then prices of these commodities will eventually go down benefiting the consumers,” Briones maintained.

Out of the Department’s target of 600,000 doses, around 150,000 doses of A-VAC ASF Live are expected to arrive in the Philippines by the third quarter of 2024.

On its official website, the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine is developed by the AVAC Viet Nam., JSC and is described as “a freeze-dried, attenuated vaccine that is cultivated on the DMAC [Diep’s Macrophage cell] cell line.”

The vaccine is intended for pigs that are four weeks old and above with a recommended single-dose administration and a protective immunity period of at least five months.

The rollout will be voluntary and will prioritize eligible commercial farms, semi-commercial enterprises, and clustered backyard farms — most likely in the Red and Pink Zones — under the strict supervision of the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry.