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The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has approved the commercial sale of AVAC ASF LIVE, the first African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine for fatteners cleared for public sale, giving the battered hog industry a new weapon as the government races to rebuild the country’s swine herd.
Developed by AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company, AVAC ASF LIVE is a live, attenuated, gene- deleted freeze-dried vaccine designed to protect pigs against the African swine fever virus. Its approval comes nearly seven years after ASF first hit the Philippines in 2019, cutting the national hog population to around 8 million heads from about 13 million before the outbreak.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock Constante J. Palabrica said a second vaccine, PROVAC from South Korea, is undergoing BAI testing, potentially giving hog raisers another option by next year.
The BAI had reported that ASF outbreaks have reached 76 of the Philippines’ 82 provinces, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the industry. The damage has been particularly painful for backyard raisers, who often have fewer resources to maintain stringent biosecurity measures and absorb losses from disease outbreaks.
The government is positioning vaccination as part of a broader repopulation strategy that includes disease surveillance, biosecurity, movement control, and targeted restocking. The goal is to restore the swine population to pre-ASF outbreak levels.
September 2, 2026/ Department of Agriculture/ The Philippines.
https://www.da.gov.ph
