Provinces with active cases of ASF rise at end of 2025

THE number of provinces with active African Swine Fever (ASF) cases increased towards the end of December, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said in a report on Monday.

As of Dec. 31, the BAI reported active ASF cases in 11 provinces across nine regions. These provinces are Benguet, La Union, Aurora, Quezon, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Camarines Norte, Bohol, Eastern Samar, and Agusan del Sur.

Near the end of November the tally of provinces with active cases was seven, across six regions.

Active ASF cases were reported in 91 barangays nationwide, up from 31 a month earlier. Of the total at the close of the year, 57 barangays were in Bohol.

ASF, which continues to affect the domestic and global hog industries, is a contagious viral disease lethal to swine and wild boars.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has said it plans to distribute more than 230,000 breeder sows by 2028 to rebuild the country’s hog herd.

The repopulation program will begin in 2026 with the distribution of 32,000 breeder sows, followed by 100,000 breeders each year in 2027 and 2028.

As of the end of December, the DA said it administered around 260,000 of the 500,000 ASF vaccines.

The DA estimates that since the first ASF outbreak in 2019, the swine population has fallen from 13 million to around 8 million head. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel