Swine fever: Pangasinan vice governer orders probe into unverified reports of vaccine trials

In Lingayen, Pangasinan, Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino mandated the provincial board to instigate an examination into emerging reports of African swine fever (ASF) vaccine farm trials happening in the confines of Pangasinan province. The Vice Governor expressed a lack of clarity and awareness about these testing reports, allegedly organised by the Department of Agriculture, highlighting the need for official validation.

“I have requested Board Member (Nicholi Jan Louie) Sison to immediately conduct an inquiry on this alleged testing of an ASF live virus in Pangasinan. Our primary concern here is the biosecurity protocols of the province,” Lambino stated, voicing his prime concern.

The Chairman of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, Rosendo So, instigated the provincial board’s investigation by raising the safety concern of locally consumed pork due to the uncertainty over the potential repercussions of ASF. Sison, who directs the provincial board committee on agriculture, affirmed that the province is actively regulating the in-flow of piggery, poultry, and other livestock enterprises while temporarily banning pork, poultry, and other livestock from ASF-damaged areas.

“At present, Pangasinan has yet to record any instances of ASF and the current total ban is critical to the strategy preventing the virus from permeating the boundaries of the province,” Sison stated.

Moreover, Lambino also revealed that the information about the farm trials originated from So. In his letter, So detailed that the trials supposedly commenced in June and will conclude in September. However, he failed to identify the particular locations in Pangasinan where the vaccines are undergoing testing reported Manila Times.

“We certainly understand that the Provincial Veterinarian harbours no insight regarding any ASF vaccine farm testing taking place in our province,” So expressed in his letter.