October 24, 2024

 

Disinformation hampers ASF vaccination rollout for small swine farmers in the Philippines

 
 


Efforts to control the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in the Philippines are being slowed by widespread disinformation, discouraging small backyard swine raisers from participating in the government's vaccination programme, Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

 

Due to concerns from small-scale farmers about the vaccine's effectiveness, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) is now shifting its focus to larger commercial farms to increase the number of vaccinated swine.

 

"The low participation rate of ‘small hold' farms presents a significant challenge, making it necessary to expedite the vaccination programme for commercial farms and swine herds covered by the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (Inspire) Programme," stated Administrative Order No 8.

 

The Inspire programme, launched during the ASF outbreak, aims to boost local swine production, and stabilise pork supply through targeted repopulation and expansion measures. To strengthen the vaccination rollout, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr has instructed the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to update vaccination protocols.

 

"We're hopeful that impending changes to the vaccination protocol will fast-track the vaccine rollout and help address the ASF virus," Tiu Laurel stated.

 

He also acknowledged that many swine farmers are hesitant to participate, fearing that their swine would be culled if they tested positive for ASF.

 

The DA is aiming to procure and distribute 600,000 vaccines from a Vietnamese supplier by the end of the year. The vaccination campaign began in Lobo, Batangas, the epicentre of the ASF outbreak, where initial results showed that vaccinated swine developed sufficient antibodies to fight the virus.

 

However, as of October 18, 2024, 10 regions and 25 provinces in the Philippines still have active ASF cases, according to the latest BAI data.

 

Under the updated guidelines, commercial farms interested in participating must submit a letter of intent and necessary documents to the relevant DA regional field office and local government. The BAI and the provincial veterinary office will then inspect the farm to assess its biosecurity measures and readiness for vaccination.

 

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Tiu Laurel and several other officials from the DA, BAI, Food and Drug Administration, and vaccine distributor KPP Powers Commodities are facing graft charges over the alleged illegal importation of untested vaccines.

 

-      Philippine Daily Inquirer