The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it inaugurated a state-of-the-art vaccine unit at the Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (CenTrAD) beside the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) on April 8, 2025.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the facility is dedicated to developing vaccines against major livestock threats such as African Swine Fever (ASF), Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Avian Influenza (AI) that pose serious risks to the country’s livestock and poultry industries and threaten food security.
The DA said it earmarked P151 million for a three-year vaccine development program, which includes acquiring the government’s first biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory.
The advanced lab enables research on dangerous microbes that can cause severe or lethal diseases through inhalation.
Tiu Laurel said the goal is to produce vaccine prototypes by 2028 or earlier, noting that while vaccines for ASF, AI and FMD exist abroad, using indigenous strains is often more effective in preventing outbreaks.
He said the new vaccine unit is vital to curbing economic losses caused by diseases and protecting livestock from future threats.
The Philippine swine sector has suffered billions in losses since ASF was first detected in 2019.
Swine population remains at just 60 percent of its pre-outbreak level of nearly 13 million.
ASF also led to massive job losses and derailed food security goals. AI has similarly caused the culling of over 10 million chickens since 2017.
