Nghe An: Many pig farms fight the epidemic with the slogan "no foreign entry"

The barn area was sprayed with pesticides by livestock owners to prevent disease. Photo: Xuan Hoang

If African swine fever occurs, pig farmers, especially farm owners, will suffer the most damage because the disease will kill the entire herd. To protect herds worth hundreds of millions of dong, even billions of dong, many farm owners in Nghe An have applied many solutions... the most important of which is "no outsiders allowed in". That means not importing new breeds; not allowing any outsiders into the barn area; family members entering the farm must also be sprayed with anti-toxic sprays.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue, owner of a pig farm in Ky Son commune, Tan Ky district, said: Before the African swine fever epidemic spread to Vietnam, she and her husband sold 40 pigs, and now have 30 pigs weighing about 45kg each. To prevent African swine fever, outsiders are absolutely not allowed into the farm during this time, and chemicals are sprayed every afternoon.

Farm owners proactively buy chemicals to spray disinfectants to prevent African swine fever. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Le Duc Tinh, Head of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Tan Ky district, said: Currently, there are 35 pig farms in the district with a total herd of 54,000 pigs. At the time when African swine fever is complicated, it is very difficult for outsiders to enter the pig farm area because they are absolutely forbidden. At every farm, there is a sign "No entry without permission", which shows the concern and proactiveness of the people in disease prevention.

Mr. Cao Van Duong in Tay Lien hamlet, Dien Lien commune (Dien Chau) has invested in a large-scale pig farm for many years. With the complicated developments of African swine fever in some northern provinces, Mr. Duong is worried: "Currently, there are 250 pigs in the farm, weighing 40 - 50 kg/pig, which cannot be sold yet."

Spraying disinfectants in barn areas is a regular practice for pig farmers today. Photo: Xuan Hoang

To protect the pigs to be healthy and not infected with swine fever, Mr. Duong has been proactive in preventing the disease. In addition to buying disinfectants to spray daily, he also bought lime powder to sprinkle inside and outside the farm area. In particular, he did not import more breeding pigs, completely isolated the farm and focused on checking the feed.

"Pig farming requires a large investment. If an epidemic occurs, we will suffer heavy losses. Therefore, we must be proactive in preventing epidemics. Spraying chemicals not only prevents African swine fever but also prevents a number of other diseases," Mr. Duong shared.

Dien Chau currently has 294 farms and mixed farms, including pig farms; the total pig herd in the district is 45,500. Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: The district and all communes have established a steering committee for African swine fever prevention. Accordingly, centralized and small-scale slaughterhouses commit to the local authorities not to buy pigs from outside the district, only buy pigs raised by people in the district. Accordingly, veterinary staff are responsible for checking the origin of pigs at slaughterhouses every day.

Mr. Cao Van Duong in Dien Lien commune (Dien Chau) is worried about his pig herd due to the African swine fever spreading in the northern provinces. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"Currently, the district has proactively sourced chemicals and lime powder to handle epidemics. Farm owners and households raising pigs in the district should proactively buy lime powder and disinfectant chemicals to prevent epidemics," said Mr. Le The Hieu.

The caution of livestock farmers is very necessary at this time, the authorities need to contact farm owners to update and guide disease prevention measures.