Building disease-free zones, aiming to export livestock products Part 1: Applying modern science and technology in livestock farming

Automatic food and water supply system of Truong Thinh chicken farm.

According to the requirements of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), one of the prerequisites for exporting meat to markets is to build a safe livestock farming area. In the period of 2021-2025, Tay Ninh livestock industry prioritizes the development of industrial, concentrated, biosafety livestock farming projects to meet the increasing demand of the domestic market and serve exports.

Boldly apply biosafety measures

Biosafety farming (BSG) is the synchronous implementation of technical and veterinary hygiene measures to prevent and limit the spread of pathogens from outside into livestock facilities and destroy pathogens existing inside, to prevent the invasion of pathogens from outside and prevent pathogens from spreading between livestock areas. Currently, good implementation of BSG is the optimal solution to repel epidemics and develop sustainable livestock farming.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tong, owner of a breeding facility specializing in providing Dong Tao chicken breeds in Da Hang hamlet, Hiep Thanh commune, said that his family started raising Dong Tao chickens from 2013 until now. To protect the chickens from dangerous diseases, in addition to vaccinating them against diseases such as avian influenza, GumBoro, Newcastle, septicemia, etc. At the same time, to limit the emergence of pathogens, he used probiotics as bedding under the coop floor, also known as biological bedding, to help decompose chicken manure without causing odors.

Mr. Tong added that before using probiotics mixed with rice husks as bedding, he and his wife had to work hard every day to clean and spray disinfectants. Using biological bedding not only helps his family save labor but also ensures disease safety.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tri Phu, a veterinarian in Thanh Duc commune, in animal husbandry, especially poultry farming, disease prevention is the top priority. Once chickens and ducks are infected, they are often very difficult to treat. If too many antibiotics are used, they will become “hardened”, grow slowly, and affect productivity and quality.

Mr. Phu raises about 100 to more than 200 chickens. Thanks to applying disease-safe farming measures, his family's chickens have never gotten sick.

Developing farm animal husbandry, applying modern science and technology

Duong Minh Chau district is a locality with great potential and strengths for livestock development, including many large-scale concentrated livestock farms, with modern investment, automation, closed livestock processes, quality breeds... ensuring environmental hygiene and effective disease prevention and control.

The model of raising Dong Tao chickens on biological bedding helps save labor.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Sang - owner of Truong Thinh cold chicken farm in Phuoc Tan hamlet, Phuoc Ninh commune (Duong Minh Chau district) said that in 2009, he spent all his capital to build the first cold chicken farm in Duong Minh Chau district. The farm was solidly built, the roof was designed with insulation, the fan system and machines such as automatic feeders and drinkers... help keep the temperature in the barn stable. After each batch of farming, before releasing the chickens into the farm, he spent 1 month cleaning and disinfecting the barn. At the same time, to limit environmental pollution, the barn floor was sprinkled with lime and sprayed with disinfectants and regular disinfection, no need to clean up manure, change the bedding during the farming process, so labor was minimized, ensuring disease prevention and control requirements. In addition, he strictly followed vaccination and barn cleaning, especially in hot weather when poultry flocks are susceptible to disease outbreaks.

Mr. Sang added that his poultry farm currently raises about 30,000 white-feathered chickens, under a contract for CJ Vina Agri Company Limited. To meet the partner's requirements, the farm must comply with strict disease-safe livestock farming regulations.

According to Mr. Nguyen Khac Duong - owner of a chicken farm under contract for a foreign-invested livestock enterprise in Phu Le hamlet, Phuoc Ninh commune (Duong Minh Chau district), initially, the farm raised about 20,000 chickens per batch, now it has increased to 60,000 chickens, on average he raises 4 batches per year.

In particular, breeds, vaccines, animal feed and all kinds of barn cleaning materials are transferred by the partner. During the farming process, technical staff regularly come to check and guide the steps according to a closed process, ensuring biosafety.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Duong said that the locality's construction of a food safety farming area was very correct, helping him feel secure in expanding the scale of the farm, boldly investing in installing cooling systems, ventilation fans, generators... and automatic water and feeding systems to help adjust temperature, light, and humidity to suit each growth stage of the chicken flock, minimizing risks due to exposure to external factors entering the farming area.

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, thanks to the application of comprehensive measures to prevent and control epidemics, in recent years, the livestock situation in the province has developed stably, without dangerous epidemics.

Building disease-free livestock areas is essential when the disease situation is increasingly complicated as it is today. To do this, in recent years, the provincial Department of Agriculture has restructured the livestock industry, converting from small-scale livestock farming to farm-scale, closed farms; applying comprehensive and synchronous technical measures in biosafety livestock farming, ensuring technical processes and meeting veterinary hygiene requirements.

Building disease-free livestock farming areas associated with biosafety livestock farming and developing agriculture that meets VietGAHP standards not only contributes to ensuring a safe food supply and meeting export requirements, but is also a trend of modern livestock farming.

Minh Duong

(to be continued)

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