Strengthening biosecurity and risk mitigation in Viet Nam’s pig subsector using a value chain approach

The rapid expansion of pig production in Vietnam calls for the urgent need to tackle animal disease risks that could adversely affect pig health, productivity, and the livelihoods of pig farmers.
Recognizing this need, from 20 to 22 November 2024, FAO supported Viet Nam's Department of Livestock Production (DLP) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the pig value chain structure and identification of risks along the value chain to inform designing of practical, progressive and sustainable risk mitigation strategies.
FAO defines value chain analysis as a tool that can be integrated in risk analysis to identify critical control points and high-risk networks and practices in livestock production and marketing chains.
With a substantial pig farming sector, Viet Nam is one of the target countries for implementation of the FAO’s Progressive Management Pathway for Terrestrial Animal Biosecurity (PMP-TAB) framework with financial support from the US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS).
As a collaborative, step-by-step approach aimed at evaluating and managing biological risks across enterprise, community, and national levels, FAO PMP-TAB promotes partnerships between public and private sectors, and co-creates risk mitigation measures to be implemented progressively. As such, it seeks to improve animal health and productivity, while also protecting human health and conserving ecosystems.
Pork is the most important meat produced in Viet Nam, representing 70 percent of total meat output and contributes to the livelihoods of approximately three million households. Smallholder and small-scale pig farmers account for the majority of the pig farms, and pig farming is considered the main source of income for rural households in Viet Nam.
The three-day meeting brought together over 30 experts from DLP and provincial livestock and veterinary authorities, as well as private sector representatives involved in pig production and trade. The meeting discussions centered on the pig value chain structure, specifically in Ha Tinh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, selected by DLP.
The meeting output will be used to design practical, progressive and sustainable disease mitigation strategies -with a focus on biosecurity and good management practices along the pig production to consumption chain. Using participatory methods, participants analyzed the pig value chain structure, including stakeholder roles, linkages, product flow, and the role of gender. They also examined animal movement patterns and seasonality of trade of pigs and pig products within the two target provinces. To understand the risks for zoonotic disease transmission and contamination of the environment, participants described the interactions between pigs with humans, other livestock as well as wild animals.
Lastly, participants identified behaviors and practices contributing to the introduction and spread of animal diseases (including zoonosis) for each value chain actor and described challenges in addressing the identified risks. With the dynamic nature of livestock value chains, this comprehensive approach can inform the design of appropriate mitigation strategies to curb the introduction and spread of animal diseases, which can pose a threat to food safety, livelihoods and the wider economy.
Given the intensive resources typically required for the traditional value chain analysis, which requires field investigations, interviews and focus group discussions, the meeting instead utilized expert knowledge elicitation to gather insights and knowledge from experienced pig value chain actors. This approach is resource-efficient and can be used to elucidate information about value chains over large geographical areas. By pooling expert knowledge, FAO can update and refine livestock value chain data more effectively.