MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday expressed optimism on securing approval for the commercial use of AVAC live vaccines.
This is in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to intensify the livestock sector’s recovery efforts from the effects of African swine fever (ASF).
In an interview, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the agency can secure the approval from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) by the next quarter.
“By the third quarter, ma-release ‘yung commercial release ng AVAC ng Vietnam (The commercial release for AVAC vaccines from Vietnam will be released by the third quarter). This is the government approval for commercial use of the AVAC vaccine within the third quarter,” he said.
For his part, National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. (NatFed) chairperson and president Chester Warren Tan said the industry welcomes the commercialization of ASF vaccines to help expedite the recovery of the country’s hog industry.
“We welcome ‘yung vaccine, lalo (the vaccine, especially) for the ASF, as long as it is approved by the government,” he said.
Regarding the potential resurgence of ASF cases during the rainy season in the third quarter, Tan said the industry is already prepared to manage such scenarios.
“Kami naman ay handa naman. Ilang taon na ito, alam na namin more or less ‘yung mga precautionary measures na gagawin (We are prepared. This has been here for years, we know more or less what precautionary measures to do),” Tan said.
“Iyang ASF ay controlled naman sa ngayon. Alam na rin ng mga farmer kung paano i-tame down ‘yung (the ASF has been controlled for now. The farmers also know how to tame down the) ASF.”
As of June 5, eight barangays in Ilocos, Mimaropa, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga have active cases of ASF, according to the BAI.
Livestock growth seen
NatFed, meanwhile, said it is optimistic to hit higher livestock production in 2026 with the intensified repopulation efforts nationwide.
“Very possible na tumaas. I think baka nga ngayong 2026, double sa increase noong 2025 (It’s very possible to have an increase. I think, probably for 2026, it will be double than the increase in 2025),” Tan said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the hog industry recorded 1.66 million metric tons (MT) in production in 2025, slightly lower that the 1.7 million MT logged in 2024.
The NatFed also urged the government to balance imports and support local production to minimize losses.
“The more importation, the more nawawalan ng morale ng local producer, medyo mababa (the more local producers are losing morale, it’s quite low). But we, as domestic producers, always encourage na tuloy lang po ito (to just sustain production),” Tan said.
He also cited a reasonable farmgate price for hogs should range from PHP200 to PHP230 per kilo.
To date, farmgate prices of only range from PHP170 to PHP185 per kilo, almost similar to their cost of production, pegged at PHP180 to PHP200 per kilo, according to NatFed. (PNA)