Nghe An province has requested local authorities to proactively take measures to protect livestock from the cold.

The Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment issued Official Letter No. 10801/SNNMT-CNTY dated November 18, 2025, to the People's Committees of communes and wards regarding proactively implementing solutions to prevent hunger and cold for livestock.

According to the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, from December 2025 to January 2026, successive cold fronts may cause prolonged periods of severe cold, frost, and ice – especially from the latter half of December. This is a time when significant losses are likely to occur for livestock and poultry, particularly in mountainous areas and regions recently affected by typhoons No. 10, 11, and 12.

To minimize losses and ensure the livestock development plan for 2025, the Department requests that the People's Committees of communes and wards issue specific guidelines and organize working groups to go directly to the grassroots level to direct, inspect, and guide the people.

Local authorities need to proactively use contingency budgets to provide supplies to poor households, policy beneficiary households, and households affected by natural disasters to reinforce livestock shelters, provide protection against the cold, and supplement feed for livestock. At the same time, they must regularly update weather information, disseminate experiences in preventing hunger and cold, and prepare response plans in case of severe cold spells.

Local authorities are required to report promptly any livestock deaths due to the cold weather; and to complete the necessary documentation in accordance with Resolution No. 16/2025/NQ-HĐND to request support for production restoration. Furthermore, regular inspections from villages and hamlets down to individual households must be conducted; the results must be submitted to the Department of Agriculture and Environment for compilation and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee.

Regarding technical matters, the Department of Agriculture and Environment requires full implementation of the guidelines in Official Letter No. 3364/CNTY-KHCNMT from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. Specifically, it emphasizes: Reinforcing and sheltering livestock pens, keeping young animals warm with heat lamps, maintaining dry pens, and disposing of waste daily; proactively harvesting cold-sensitive aquatic species such as tilapia, snakehead fish, and turtles when they reach maturity.

Regarding nutrition, livestock farmers need to increase feed rations, supplement with concentrated feed, vitamins, digestive enzymes, and electrolytes to boost immunity; provide warm water for animals during cold weather; and arrange appropriate stocking densities to help animals stay warmer. Veterinary measures such as complete vaccination, monitoring the health of the herd, and sanitation and disinfection of barns must also be strictly implemented. Absolutely no buying, selling, or slaughtering of sick or dead animals is allowed, and any unusual cases must be reported immediately to the authorities and veterinary agencies.

The Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine is tasked with guiding, supervising, and coordinating with local authorities to inspect and urge people to effectively implement measures to prevent hunger and cold; and promptly handle outbreaks if they occur under unfavorable weather conditions.

Mr. Tran Vo Ba, Deputy Head of the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine of Nghe An province, said that the forecast for this year's severe cold weather may be prolonged and occur in multiple waves, so localities must absolutely not be complacent.

“Cold-weather protection measures must be implemented early, synchronously, and effectively. If only superficial coverings are provided or proper nutrition is not supplemented, livestock can easily lose their resistance, leading to losses. The Sub-Department will strengthen inspections and support localities to minimize risks to the livestock industry,” Mr. Ba emphasized.