Farms "no entry, no exit" to fight African swine fever

(Baohatinh.vn) - Faced with the risk of widespread African swine fever, businesses and livestock farms in Ha Tinh are focusing on implementing many measures to protect the safety of livestock.

According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, currently, more than 540 communes and wards in 30/34 provinces and cities have had African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks for less than 21 days. Compared to the same period last year, the number of outbreaks, areas and number of affected pigs have all increased.

In Ha Tinh , ASF is occurring in 43 communes and wards, causing 4,942 pigs to be destroyed. The epidemic is forecast to continue to develop complicatedly in households and some small-scale farms, with the risk of outbreaks and widespread spread in the coming time. In this context, many large and medium-sized enterprises and farms in the area have implemented "no entry, no exit", tightening disease prevention and control measures to protect the safety of livestock.

In Ha Tinh, 4,942 sick pigs had to be destroyed.

For more than 2 weeks now, Minh Loc Livestock, Synthesis and Construction Cooperative (Cam Lac commune) has strengthened measures and strictly controlled the areas inside and outside the farm. Mr. Truong Xuan Binh - Director of the Cooperative said: "The farm has a total herd of nearly 200 sows and more than 500 pigs. Given the complicated developments of ASF, we are very concerned and have urgently tightened the entire biosafety process. The frequency of spraying disinfectants has increased from 1-2 times/week to 3 times/week. Supplies and equipment are double the reserve; proactively using more biological products to increase the resistance of the pig herd. In the context of no specific treatment drugs and vaccines, biosafety is the number one solution."

Sharing more about the difficulties, Mr. Binh said: "Each disinfection spraying session costs millions of dong in chemicals and labor, but if we don't do it, the risk of damage will be much greater. We are determined to maintain the current high level of epidemic prevention until the epidemic is controlled."

Cam Lac Commune Agricultural Cooperative conducts disinfection spraying at the farm.

At this time, the comprehensive livestock farm of Cam Lac Commune Agricultural Cooperative is also "stretching" to fight the epidemic. Mr. Nguyen Viet Linh - Farm Manager said: "During this time, the team of workers is completely "banned", living and working within the premises, absolutely not going out. Any department working in that area is not allowed to go to another department. Vehicles entering and exiting are all strictly isolated and disinfected; goods and food are transferred through many layers of control. The cost of epidemic prevention has increased significantly, but it is mandatory when the epidemic is spreading."

Thang Loi Cooperative (Tien Dien commune) covers the entire barn system with nets to prevent the intrusion of intermediate insects carrying pathogens such as flies, mosquitoes, ticks, etc.

Currently, the livestock farm of Thang Loi Cooperative (Tien Dien commune) has a scale of 300 sows and 1,000 pigs. In addition to complying with the regular vaccination schedule and supplementing feed sources to increase the resistance of livestock, the facility also increases the cost and frequency of disease prevention.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nghia - Director of the Cooperative said: "The Cooperative spreads lime once a week; sprays disinfectant twice a week with specialized chemicals on the entire farm system; the entrance gate is always sprinkled with white lime powder. We also cover the entire barn system with nets to prevent the intrusion of intermediate insects carrying pathogens such as flies, mosquitoes, ticks, etc. In addition, the area for receiving food and supplies is arranged separately, with mandatory disinfection before being brought inside."

Currently, the total pig herd in the province is 402,000.

It is known that currently, the total pig herd in the province is 402,000, of which farm raising accounts for 70% of the total herd. If this concentrated livestock system is affected by the epidemic, the economic damage will be huge. What is worrying is that the epidemic is developing complicatedly across the country, pathogens can penetrate through many different ways. Along with that, entering the transitional season, the weather alternating between hot and humid rain increases the humidity of the barn, creating conditions for bacteria, viruses, and parasites to thrive, affecting the resistance of livestock.

Therefore, the industry recommends that farms need to focus on disease prevention and control. One of the leading solutions to deal with ASF is to strictly apply biosecurity measures, especially focusing on sanitation, disinfection of barns with disinfectants and lime powder; strictly follow the vaccination schedule, and supplement nutrition to improve the resistance of the pig herd.

One of the leading solutions to deal with DTLCP is to strictly apply biosecurity measures in livestock farming.

Along with that, the province is focusing on reviewing and accurately identifying each outbreak, assessing the level of danger to localize and thoroughly handle it, preventing the risk of widespread spread, affecting all livestock farming activities.

Communes and wards are required to promptly announce the epidemic based on actual developments and the possibility of spread, proactively and synchronously deploy prevention and control measures, and mobilize local forces and resources to protect livestock.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/cac-trang-trai-noi-bat-xuat-ngoai-bat-nhap-chong-dich-ta-lon-chau-phi-post293382.html