DA: Full Recovery of Local Hog Population May Take Up to 3 Years Post-ASF

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it may take two to three more years for the country’s hog population to fully recover to pre-African swine fever (ASF) levels.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa shared that the hog industry is beginning to rebound, but complete recovery will be gradual. “This will take about two to three years,” he said.

Controlled ASF vaccinations are currently underway, and the DA reported positive outcomes in areas where the vaccine has been administered. The agency is now waiting for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the vaccine for commercial release, expected later this year.

Once cleared, the DA plans to launch an aggressive repopulation campaign, aiming to restore local swine production to pre-outbreak figures by 2028.

The ASF outbreak, which began in 2019, slashed the hog inventory from about 13 million heads to under 9 million. The DA believes that the vaccine is crucial to achieving long-term recovery in the livestock sector.