DA assures no expired ASF vaccines will be used

No expired vaccines will be purchased to combat the African swine fever (ASF), which continues to pose a threat to the local hog industry, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured hog raisers on Tuesday.

“The government will not buy expired vaccines. While it is true that they had delivered vaccines in the hope that there would be an immediate procurement and approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), it took some time for the review, processing, and eventual approval of the controlled vaccination, and it reached its expiry. The government will not accept any expired vaccines,” DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said.

This comes after the farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura raised concerns about the possible utilization of 150,000 ASF vaccines, which expired in March this year.

According to De Mesa, all the 600,000 ASF vaccines to be procured will be new and have a two-year validity. He said the procurement was ongoing.

The DA earlier said it would be acquiring at least 10,000 ASF doses through emergency procurement following reported outbreaks in some areas of Batangas province.

“The 10,000 [doses] are within the 600,000 [doses]. That’s the first to arrive. The 10,000 are also new. We can assure you that the ones we will buy and use are not those previously sent here,” the DA official said.

“The government is not buying anything yet. There are no vaccines in the government’s possession yet, whatever their status is. Our assurance, both for the emergency purchase and for the regular procurement, will be new doses coming in which will have validity for another two years,” he added.

A total of P350 million has been allocated for the procurement of ASF vaccines.

Last July, the FDA announced its approval of a Certificate of Product Registration for Vietnam’s AVAC ASF Live Vaccine, the first ASF vaccine in the country, which will be restricted in its use by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the BAI is polishing the guidelines with agricultural and veterinary stakeholders for the ASF vaccine’s controlled use, with public consultations to follow.

The controlled rollout is set for the third quarter of the year and will prioritize eligible commercial farms, semi-commercial enterprises, and clustered backyard farms under strict BAI supervision.