Vinh City has difficulty finding a location to destroy infected pigs.
(Baonghean.vn) - While in rural districts, the destruction of pigs infected with African swine fever is quite convenient when there is a large land fund, in Vinh city, the destruction of sick pigs in an environmentally friendly manner, far from densely populated areas, is not easy.
The epidemic broke out strongly.
In Vinh City, livestock farming is mainly concentrated in suburban communes. After more than a year of African swine fever being controlled, in September 2023, the disease broke out again in the city, originating from the outbreak in Hung Chinh commune and then spreading to other places.
According to statistics from the Vinh City Agricultural Service Center, after only 2 months of the first outbreak, by November 25, the entire city had 8 localities with African swine fever, mainly concentrated in suburban communes including: Hung Chinh, Nghi An, Nghi Duc, Nghi Kim, Nghi Lien, Hung Hoa, Hung Loc and Dong Vinh ward. The number of pigs forced to be destroyed was 322, with a total weight of over 21 tons. Faced with the rapid spread of the epidemic, Vinh City has issued documents directing communes, wards, breeders, and business households to tighten epidemic prevention measures.
It is worth mentioning that not only do pigs die in barns, but people also throw pig carcasses into the environment indiscriminately in the city. On the morning of November 24, people in Vinh Tan ward discovered a pig carcass weighing nearly 100 kg, in the process of decomposition, floating on the Vinh River in the direction from Hung Chinh, Cua Nam to Vinh Tan. Local authorities have mobilized forces to scoop it up and destroy it according to regulations.
Although the total pig herd is not large compared to other localities, the possibility of disease spreading in the city is high. The reason is that small-scale farming is interspersed among residents, not confined to a concentrated area to control the disease. Households often have the habit of using uncooked leftover food from restaurants and eateries to feed pigs directly; the application of biosafety measures to prevent and control diseases is still limited.
In addition, Vinh city is a locality with a large daily meat consumption, therefore, the transportation and trading of pork is very active in many markets, routes, stores... If not strictly controlled, the disease can break out in many localities.
Difficult to find pig destruction site
According to regulations, when African swine fever occurs, it is mandatory to destroy infected pigs. However, with the characteristics of limited land, dense population, and close-knit houses, finding a feasible location in the city to destroy sick pigs is not easy.
Nghi An commune is the locality with the most complicated epidemic situation in Vinh city. Up to now, the whole commune has destroyed 139 sick pigs, weighing nearly 9 tons, accounting for about 40% of the total weight of sick pigs in the city. In recent days, finding a place to destroy pigs has been very difficult.
Mr. Chu Van Mai - Chairman of Nghi An Commune People's Committee said: In the area, there is a total herd of about 1,000 pigs. Since the outbreak of African swine fever, the number of infected pigs has increased. For households with only 1-2 small pigs dying and having vacant garden land, we have directed them to bury them on the spot, dig deep and spray pesticides and lime powder to kill pathogens. But for large herds that must be buried far from residential areas, the locality must mobilize machinery and find a suitable location for destruction. Fortunately, there are some sandbanks and yards located 1-2 km from people's houses, so they have been chosen to bury the pigs. If in the coming time, the epidemic continues to spread and the number of dead pigs increases, determining the location to destroy the pigs will certainly be difficult...
On November 24, in Hung Loc commune, there were also 4 pigs that died from African swine fever, weighing about 200kg. The local government destroyed the pigs in the cemetery area, near Hai Thuong Lan Ong street. Many people, after hearing the news, protested because they thought that this location was close to a residential area, potentially causing environmental pollution and disease outbreaks.
Speaking to reporters, the Hung Loc commune authorities confirmed that they had mobilized machinery and personnel to destroy the pigs in the above-mentioned area on the morning of November 24. According to the explanation of Hung Loc commune, due to the limited land fund and lack of burial sites, the pigs had to be buried in an area near the cemetery, far from the people. In addition, during the burial, a deep hole was dug to ensure the environment later.
After receiving feedback from local residents, the local authorities have re-examined the burial site and will strengthen disease prevention measures such as adding lime and chemicals to ensure that the disease does not spread and that there is no odor when the pig carcasses decompose. At the same time, they will search for a feasible location to destroy the pigs if more pig deaths occur in the future.
During the previous peak outbreak, when the epidemic appeared in Hung Binh ward - located in the city center, due to lack of land to destroy pigs, Hung Binh ward had to contact Nghi Lien commune to ask for "burial" of sick pigs. Burying livestock in the inner city area is currently impossible.
The representative of the Economic Department, Vinh City People's Committee said that it is forecasted that in the coming time, the epidemic situation will continue to be complicated. In addition, prolonged rain makes the disease easily spread and disseminate. Vinh City People's Committee has issued an official dispatch directing localities to step up disease prevention work, strictly prohibit the consumption of infected pigs, and destroy diseased pigs to ensure epidemic prevention procedures, ensure the environment as well as minimize the possibility of disease spread./.
