Ensuring the safety of livestock against African swine fever.

BAC NINH - Since the beginning of the year, African swine fever has occurred in 323 communes across 25 out of 34 provinces and cities nationwide. In Bac Ninh province, the disease appeared in Ngoc Thien commune, resulting in the death and culling of 112 pigs at two large-scale farms. To limit the spread of the disease and ensure the safety of livestock, the Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries is focusing on directing localities and livestock farmers in the province to urgently implement comprehensive solutions.

Báo Bắc Ninh•13/04/2026

The farmer takes the initiative.

Mr. Tran Van Long's contract pig farm in Khanh Ninh village, Ngoc Thien commune, has a scale of 3,000 fattening pigs. Despite the unusual developments of African swine fever in Ngoc Thien commune, Mr. Long still decided to restock with 1,500 breeding pigs. His secret is strengthening disease prevention and control measures. Along with strictly adhering to biosecurity farming procedures, implementing three security zones for the pig herd, and applying the "no entry, no exit" rule, all workers entering the farm must undergo quarantine for at least 24 hours, disinfect, and live on the farm.

Officials from the Department of Livestock, Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries inspected sanitation measures to prevent African swine fever at the pig farm of Mr. Tran Van Long's family in Ngoc Thien commune.

Vehicles transporting feed, supplies, and pigs in and out of the farm must be disinfected with chemicals and lime powder. Mr. Long manages and operates the farm through a surveillance camera system. Furthermore, the farm strictly prohibits unauthorized persons and vehicles from accessing the livestock pens.

Mr. Long said: “To ensure the safety of the pig herd amidst the complex disease situation, my family recently invested tens of millions of dong in installing a netting system to prevent insects, which are vectors of disease transmission. In addition, the farm pays special attention to preventing the spread of disease from outside sources, absolutely not buying food from the market to bring to the house and farm. Thanks to this, the farm has remained safe to date.”

At the Hoàng Văn Dư family's pig breeding farm in Trạm Lộ ward, which houses 500-600 breeding pigs, the most noticeable sight is the white lime powder scattered around the pens, entrances, and the signs at the farm gate that read "Quarantine Area - No Entry Without Authorization." The entry and exit procedures for the farm have changed since information about the resurgence of African swine fever in several provinces and cities, including Bắc Ninh , emerged. To enter the farm, we had to stop from a distance, spray disinfectant, and could only tour the breeding area via a camera-connected screen.

Mr. Du shared: "Previously, our family carried out sanitation and disinfection once a day, but now we've increased it to twice a day. Although increased disinfection has led to higher livestock farming costs, given the complex disease situation, this is a proactive measure to protect our livestock and reduce economic losses for our family."

Create a safety shield.

Since the beginning of March, two outbreaks of African swine fever have occurred in Ngoc Thien commune, resulting in the death and forced culling of 112 pigs at two contract farming operations. Upon receiving the information, the Provincial Department of Livestock, Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries immediately directed the collection of samples for testing, which confirmed positive results for the virus causing the disease.

To prevent the spread and outbreak of the disease, along with instructions to destroy all infected pigs, the Provincial Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries instructed households with infected pigs to disinfect the pigpens and surrounding areas with lime powder and chemicals once a day during the first week, and every three days for the following 2-3 weeks; to isolate and care for pigs that are not yet infected, and to commit to not selling, giving away, slaughtering, or transporting them until the disease is officially declared eradicated by the relevant authorities.

Since the beginning of March, two outbreaks of African swine fever have occurred in Ngoc Thien commune, affecting two contract pig farms, resulting in the death and forced culling of 112 pigs. To prevent the spread and outbreak of the disease, along with instructions to cull all infected pigs, the Provincial Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries has instructed the owners of infected pigs to disinfect the pigpens and surrounding areas with lime and chemicals once a day during the first week, and every three days for the following 2-3 weeks; to isolate and care for uninfected pigs, and to commit to not selling, giving away, slaughtering, or transporting them until the disease is officially declared eradicated by the relevant authorities.

The Sub-Department also requested livestock farmers and local authorities to clean up, collect waste, and disinfect the environment with chemicals and lime powder throughout the affected area, using nearly 500 liters of chemicals and 20 tons of lime powder. At the same time, they are strictly managing and monitoring the transportation, trading, and slaughtering of pigs and pig products in and out of the affected area to limit the risk of further outbreaks and spread of the disease.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho, Head of the Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries, given the complex developments of African swine fever, the Department has directed regional stations to strengthen disease surveillance to detect early, provide timely warnings, and thoroughly handle outbreaks to prevent the disease from spreading; closely coordinate with localities, departments, and relevant agencies to proactively detect and strictly handle cases of illegal trading and transportation of animals and animal products circulating in the area; and organize training courses and propaganda to encourage people to apply hygiene and disease prevention measures for livestock.

In Ngoc Thien commune, disease prevention and control measures are being implemented comprehensively. According to Mr. Hoang Van Tuyen, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, to ensure the safety of livestock, the commune is strengthening information and propaganda about the disease situation so that people can understand and proactively prevent and control it; requiring large-scale livestock farms to implement biosecurity measures to effectively control the disease. The Commune People's Committee also directs specialized staff to inspect sanitation and disinfection at affected households and disposal pits to take timely action.

With the weather currently in a transitional period, the risk of African swine fever spreading is high. Therefore, the coordinated implementation of measures, from the people to the Party committees and authorities, will contribute to effective disease prevention and control, creating a safe shield to protect livestock.

Text and photos: Nguyen Tuan

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bao-dam-an-toan-dan-vat-nuoi-truoc-dich-ta-lon-chau-phi-postid443263.bbg