Where is the head of the sector?

Many people in my hometown of Quang Ngai have temporarily set aside their favorite breakfast dish, pork knuckle noodle soup, opting instead for other options like beef noodle soup or duck porridge. People in Gia Lai are doing the same. My mother says that the local market is now limiting pork sales, while the seafood section is crowded with buyers. Her pork stall has switched to selling chicken, at unusually high prices. All this is due to concerns about African Swine Fever (ASF).

It must be said that pig farming has never been in such a dire situation. For farmers, pigs, cows, chickens, etc., are assets. They are savings, for times of illness or for children's education. The money invested in pig farming is considerable; for small-scale farmers, it's millions of dong, while for larger businesses, it can reach tens or even hundreds of billions of dong. The damage caused by African Swine Fever (ASF) has been quantified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in staggering figures: from February 2019 to the end of 2020, nearly 9 million tons of pork had to be destroyed nationwide, resulting in losses of approximately 30,000 billion dong. In the years that followed, and especially now, with the disease raging, the total losses will undoubtedly be substantial!

Given the widespread outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), the Party Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued a document to the standing committees of provincial and city Party committees under the Central Committee, requesting them to focus on comprehensive and decisive measures for prevention and control. This is the second time the Ministry has issued a document on ASF from the perspective of "the Party must get involved," to raise the level and bind the responsibility of localities, as the Ministry does not have full authority to combat the epidemic; it is also the responsibility of the localities. In addition, the Ministry also sent delegations of officials to inspect and guide epidemic control efforts in localities…

However, the current situation proves that those solutions are not strong enough, and the measures are insufficient. It must be clearly stated that African Swine Fever (ASF) not only damages farmers and the agricultural economy , but also seriously affects the meals of Vietnamese families. With less than six months until the Lunar New Year, it's too short a time to build up a pig herd to supply meat for the holiday. Of course, we cannot accept the excuse that "we don't fear a meat shortage because we still import!". After all, our strength lies in agriculture, so why spend hundreds of millions of USD on imports? It's important to note that in February alone this year, the meat industry spent 10,000 billion VND on meat imports; in 2024, the value of imported pork of all types is projected to reach 460 million USD.

The first solution to prevent the disease from spreading is to implement vaccination; if the vaccine proves effective and safe, livestock owners will be required to vaccinate their pigs, and non-compliance will result in a ban on raising pigs. A "task force" from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment should be established in each affected locality to guide handling procedures; if any area fails to implement disease prevention measures correctly, leading to outbreaks or recurrences, a report should be filed and accountability established; timely reports should be submitted to the Government and the Prime Minister for guidance on issues beyond their authority, such as funding, local veterinary staff, and even proposals for disciplinary action against local officials who are not serious about disease control and prevention.

In particular, guiding farmers to raise clean pigs, ensuring the quality of feed for the pigs, also protects the health of people eating at their dinner tables. These are all tasks and responsibilities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment!

GOODNESS

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tu-lenh-nganh-o-dau-post806875.html