The National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI) on Sunday urged the government to subsidize or, at the least, bear half the cost of the African Swine Fever vaccine in order to assist small and medium-sized local hog farmers.

While the price of an ASF vaccination dose has yet to be determined, NFHFI President Chester Tan believes it will be between P400 and P600, which is prohibitively expensive for framers.

Tan hoped that the P400 to P600 pricing range was incorrect as it is quite pricey, saying that it is neither economical nor practicable, and farmers may be enticed not to use the vaccine even if they wanted to.

Tan anticipates that with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. serving as concurrent Agriculture Secretary, the government will fund the ASF vaccination.

The ASF vaccination was confirmed effective in clinical trials in six farms in Luzon, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) on Friday.

IN 2019, the ASF outbreak was first reported in the country in which thousands of pigs were slaughtered to stop the spread of the disease.

The disease has significantly affected the country's swine inventory.