Live vaccines pose a separate challenge
One of the key issues is that the vaccines currently under development are live vaccines. This means that after vaccination, an animal can test ASF-positive in laboratory diagnostics. In the context of international trade, this creates serious barriers, as a positive status automatically affects export opportunities.
Risk of virus mutations
Global experience also points to potential risks. In particular, in China, the use of insufficiently studied products in previous years has been associated with the emergence of mutated ASF virus strains. Such mutations complicate disease control and increase epizootic risks.
Market caution
Vietnam’s experience is also telling, as it was among the first countries to allow ASF vaccines. According to Oksana Yurchenko, commercial producers there have not rushed to vaccinate their herds on a large scale, considering possible consequences for productivity and biosecurity. Vaccination is used mainly in backyard farms.
The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders emphasizes that ASF vaccination should be considered at the level of state policy and international approaches, rather than as an individual decision by single farms. Above all, it is about assessing long-term consequences for the industry and the country’s export potential.
More on the industry’s position and the international context can be found in the full version of the podcast with Oksana Yurchenko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YixZyNUehNk