Agricultural stakeholders are sanguine on the recovery of the local hog sector and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA of a vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) for commercial use.
But Jayson Cainglet, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) executive director, urges the government, particularly the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), to release all field trial results so the public does not doubt the efficacy of the vaccine.
“We welcome all efforts in developing vaccines against ASF on a commercial scale but we caution in the promotion of a particular vaccine brand without the proper protocol, testing procedure and prescribed guidelines. As with our battle with COVID-19, we let science and precautionary principles take precedence over haste and commercial profit. We urge the BAI to release in detail the field trials so a proper assessment can be done by experts and the industry itself on the efficacy of the said vaccine,” Cainglet said.
SINAG, particularly also the hog raisers, issued an appeal for the cost of the ASF vaccine be subsidized by government.
“The hog industry remains predominantly backyard and small-scale, the cost of vaccines should at least be subsidized by the government so that backyard hog raisers are given the same chance of recovering lost incomes and destroyed livelihoods the past four years,” Cainglet added.
Danilo Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI), said the ASF vaccine must be distributed soonest and handled by a government task force to ensure policy consistency nationwide.
“The vaccine should be distributed ASAP to finally end the misery of the hog sector. Further, we should have an inter-agency task force for animal diseases and pests just like what we have in COVID-19 to ensure one policy direction among local government units and the national government in dealing with animal diseases and pests,” Fausto explained.
Last Friday, BAI recommended to the FDA the Avac brand of vaccine manufactured by Vietnam.
Arlyn Vytiaco, BAI assistant director, said this developed in the wake of the product’s proven safety and efficacy in clinical trials conducted in farms across Luzon that resulted in increased levels of antibodies against ASF in all samples used in the trial.
The BAI said once approved by the FDA, the agency will import at least 600,000 doses from its manufacturer in Vietnam with rollout guidelines to be released after the approval is secured.
Vytiaco said the vaccine will not be mandatory even as the Department of Agriculture gave assurance that its price will be affordable even for small raisers.
BAI data shows that as of May 17, six regions, 12 provinces, 32 municipalities and 73 barangays reported active ASF cases.
