Philippines is close to breaking its pork import record

African swine fever (ASF), which devastated the country in the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025. The ASF outbreak led to a 5.6% decline in pork production in the first half of 2025. This decline is being moderated by disease control and vaccine rollout, strengthened biosecurity measures, and pig restocking programs. However, the pork sector has yet to recover to pre-outbreak levels, particularly among smallholder farmers, who account for more than 70% of the national pork herd. The Philippine government, recognizing the health and economic impacts, has stepped up efforts through the Department of Agriculture, distributing breeding stock, building high-safety farms, and promoting the use of vaccines such as the Vietnamese AVAC vaccine. At the same time, localized diagnostic kits capable of rapidly detecting the presence of ASF were developed, facilitating the control and restoration of the swine herd. Despite these achievements, demand for meat continues to outpace ...