Commune authorities indifferent when cows die from lumpy skin disease

Commune government indifferent

At the end of April, a cow weighing nearly 300 kg belonging to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phong's family in Hamlet 1, Quynh Chau Commune (Quynh Luu) was found dead.Lumpy skin diseaseAlthough the family tried to treat it, due to severe illness and weak resistance, Mr. Phong's family's cow died a few days later.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phong said that he had to destroy the cow that died from lumpy skin disease himself, without any support or guidance from the commune authorities. Photo: Xuan Hoang

After the cow died, Mr. Phong reported it to the neighborhood and the Quynh Chau commune authorities to find a solution to destroy the cow and prevent it from spreading widely. However, Quynh Chau commune did not send forces to destroy the cow but instead instructed Mr. Phong's family to bury the cow themselves.

Talking to reporters on May 4, Mr. Phong was upset: "We are the people, how can we know where to bury dead cows to avoid violating regulations, not to mention we do not have professional knowledge or understand the process.destroyThe cow died safely. I couldn’t contact the commune, so I had to ask my neighbors to carry the cow and rent an excavator to dig a hole to bury the cow in my garden…”.

The location where Mr. Phong's family's cows are being destroyed is close to the road, causing frustration for local residents, especially when the stench is present. Photo: Quang An

It is worth mentioning that just a few days later, people in Hamlet 1, Quynh Chau Commune reported that the area where Mr. Phong buried his cows was emitting a foul smell, and the burial site was located next to a road where many people brought their buffaloes and cows out to graze every day, so people were very upset, because it not only polluted the environment but also increased the risk of spreading the disease on a large scale. However, the family could not dig it up to bury it in another location.

By noon on May 2, the pregnant cow of Mr. Nguyen Van Chuyen's family in Hamlet 1, Quynh Chau Commune (Mr. Phong's neighbor) also died of lumpy skin disease. During the entire process of inspection, measurement, and making a record of destruction, only Mr. Chuyen's family - Hamlet Chief of Hamlet 1 and officers from the Agricultural Service Center were present.Quynh Luu district, no force of Quynh Chau commune.

Mr. Chuyen's family's cow died at noon on May 2, however, it was not until the evening of May 2 that it could be destroyed because the commune authorities were not present. Photo: Quang An

The minutes confirming the incident made on the afternoon of May 2, witnessed by all parties, clearly stated: The commune's leadership was not present on the afternoon of May 2; the household could not rent a vehicle to destroy the waste and asked the commune People's Committee to contact them for help but was unsuccessful; There was no location for destruction...

The absence of the local authorities of Quynh Chau commune caused a delay in the destruction of the cows at Mr. Chuyen's family. It was not until 7-8 pm on May 2 that they found a place to destroy the dead cows.

The minutes of the meeting on the afternoon of May 2 clearly stated that the Quynh Chau commune government did not participate in the inspection and destruction of dead cows. Photo: Quang An

In fact, in recent years, when African swine fever, avian influenza or lumpy skin disease occurred in buffaloes and cows in the province, if they had to be destroyed, the commune-level disease prevention and control steering committee did not hesitate to support and join hands with the people to destroy them, avoiding widespread epidemics. However, the indifference of the Quynh Chau commune government in destroying cattle that died from disease has made the people angry.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Vu Van Thuong - Chairman of Quynh Chau Commune People's Committee said: Regarding the case of Mr. Phong's family's cow dying from lumpy skin disease, the commune assigned agricultural officials to inspect and provide lime powder and disinfectant chemicals. However, the family carried out the destruction themselves in Mr. Phong's family's forest garden. After the destruction was completed, Mr. Thuong received information from the people that Mr. Phong had not properly destroyed the cow. However, Mr. Thuong admitted that he still did not know where Mr. Phong's family's cow was destroyed and how it was destroyed.

That shows the indifference of the commune government in the work.prevention and control of epidemicson livestock is based.

Statistics on the lumpy skin disease situation in buffalo and cows in Quynh Luu district show that, as of May 4, there were 91 cows infected with lumpy skin disease in the district. Of these, 32 died and were destroyed. Worryingly, in Quynh Chau commune, the number of cows infected with lumpy skin disease that died was the highest in the district, with 7 cows dying and being destroyed, and there are still 19 cows infected with the disease. Could it be that the indifference and negligence of the Quynh Chau commune authorities caused the disease to spread widely?

Do not let households self-destruct.

The destruction of livestock infected with highly contagious diseases is the primary responsibility of local authorities. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Anh Hung - Director of the Agricultural Service Center of Quynh Luu district said: Due to the complicated situation of livestock diseases in many localities, the unit has instructed localities on how to handle livestock that died due to disease. In particular, assigning people to be on duty during all the recent long holidays. When cows and pigs die, the communes report, the center's staff will come to make a record. The destruction is carried out by the commune authorities.

Mr. Ngo Duc Quynh - Deputy Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine said that when people report that cows and pigs have died due to an epidemic, the hamlet and commune authorities are responsible for checking and coordinating with the District Agricultural Service Center to determine the cause of death, weigh, measure... and create a record. After that, the commune is responsible for destroying the animals in the right place and following the correct procedure, absolutely not allowing households to destroy them themselves, to avoid spreading the epidemic.