Strengthening prevention of hunger, cold and disease for livestock and poultry

(Telegram No. 38/CD-UBND, dated December 17, 2013 of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee)

According to the forecast of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the weather in the 2013-2014 winter-spring crop under the impact of climate change will be complicated, the cold weather may be accompanied by many severe cold spells affecting livestock production.

To prevent and minimize damage to livestock and poultry in the 2013-2014 winter-spring crop, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns; Directors of departments, heads of relevant sectors and branches to urgently deploy and direct the implementation of the following contents:

1. People's Committees of districts, cities and towns:

- Direct specialized departments, organizations and authorities of communes, wards and towns to seriously implement measures to prevent hunger, cold and diseases for livestock and poultry according to the instructions of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An in Official Dispatch No. 2299/SNN-CN dated September 30, 2013; especially before, during and after the Lunar New Year, it is necessary to urgently implement the following contents:

+ Focus on propaganda and mobilization for each livestock household to have a straw, stubble or hay as feed for livestock. Instruct people to take advantage of the land around the house and unused land for winter crops, fallow land to grow grass and thick corn; at the same time, take advantage of agricultural and industrial by-products in many forms to store as feed for buffaloes and cows in winter.

+ Regularly inform farmers about weather developments; disseminate experiences in preventing hunger and cold for cattle drawn from previous winters; on cold days, it is necessary to regularly monitor weather developments to proactively direct timely prevention of hunger and cold. When the outdoor temperature drops below 120C, it is necessary to instruct farmers not to use livestock for plowing or pulling; not to graze cattle, goats, and horses in the fields and yards; supplement livestock with concentrated feed and give them warm water; move herds of cattle and buffalo out of highland areas; bring free-range cattle and buffalo to a place where they can be kept and controlled.

+ Localities regularly inspect, remind, and mobilize livestock breeders to effectively implement measures to prevent hunger and cold for buffalo and cows in each village and hamlet and have timely support plans for farmers, especially poor households and policy households, in protecting livestock in winter.

- Strengthen the direction of specialized departments, offices and local authorities to coordinate with the Veterinary sector in implementing regular vaccination for livestock in the 2013-2014 winter-spring crop; assign the responsibility of disease surveillance on livestock and poultry at the grassroots level to commune, ward, village and hamlet authorities and local veterinary officers.

- No support for livestock that die due to hunger, cold, or disease for livestock households that do not seriously implement the above-mentioned measures to prevent and combat hunger, cold, and disease;

The Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns must be responsible to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee if there is a situation where livestock and poultry die due to hunger, cold, or disease in the area due to subjective reasons and the direction of implementation is not drastic and lacks uniformity of the above measures.

2. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development:

- Assign tasks to the Veterinary Department, Livestock Breeding Center, and Agricultural Extension Center to directly direct specialized units and Veterinary Stations located in districts, towns, and cities to coordinate with local authorities to strengthen propaganda, mobilization, and guidance for people on measures to prevent and combat hunger, cold, and diseases for livestock.

- Strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of measures to prevent hunger and cold for livestock and poultry from the district to the grassroots level. Coordinate with the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to continue to effectively vaccinate against foot-and-mouth disease in buffalo and cow herds and urge disinfection to prevent avian influenza and blue ear disease in the whole province according to regulations.

- Direct, inspect and urge competent authorities and localities to do a good job in disease prevention and control in the locality; quarantine, transportation control, slaughter control of livestock and poultry, veterinary hygiene inspection and disease surveillance at the facility. Regularly monitor weather developments, promptly propose and advise the Provincial People's Committee on handling measures when unusual weather changes occur; at the same time, inspect, urge, synthesize and report to the Provincial People's Committee on the implementation of this telegram.

3. Provincial Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper:

Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to promote propaganda, dissemination and guidance on measures to prevent hunger and cold; and prevent diseases for livestock and poultry in the 2013-2014 winter-spring crop through various forms such as through columns, models and specific examples on mass media.

Requesting Chairmen of People's Committees of districts, cities, towns; Directors of departments, heads of relevant sectors and branches to seriously organize, deploy and implement. During the implementation process, if there are any problems or difficulties, report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for synthesis and submission to the Provincial People's Committee for timely resolution.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee

Dinh Viet Hong