Vietnamese local government staff gain skills on risk mitigation and management
- Pig production farm in Bac Giang province
Project on risk mitigation and management of human health threats paves way for better skills for animal health workers and farmers
The incursion of African Swine Fever virus in Viet Nam last 2019 exposed the country’s 2.5 million pig-raising households to catastrophic financial losses. The culling of more than six million pigs after ASF spread to all 63 provinces in Viet Nam showed the great need of continually guiding pig farmers to strengthen the implementation of basic biosecurity measures.
In collaboration with the Viet Nam Department of Livestock Production (DLP), the FAO Viet Nam’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases trained local staff on auditing farm capacities in preventing human and animal health threats. The training was one of the activities of the United States for International Development (USAID) and Australian Government project on risk mitigation and management of human health threats along animal value chains.
The DLP and ECTAD developed a farm checklist for good biosecurity practices including waste management, disease prevention and responsible use of antibiotics in small-scale pig production farms. The project team, consisting of DLP and FAO ECTAD technical advisors, trained provincial Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health (SDLPAH) staff using the newly developed biosecurity checklist to conduct farm audits or assessments to identify model farms showcasing good biosecurity and production practices in pig production farms.
- Mr Hoang Van Thuan is making footbath at the entrance into his pig farm
Eight small-scale pig production farms in Bac Giang and Nam Dinh Provinces were selected as pilot farms to demonstrate the benefit of improving biosecurity and production practices. Mr Hoang Van Thuan’s pig fattening business was one of the few selected ones.
Better biosecurity and production practices
Mr Hoang Van Thuan’s main income is from raising fattening pigs and fish farming in the ponds adjacent to his pig farm. The 100-head pig pens are separated from his house and other business buildings by a perimeter fence and surrounded by ditch with only one gate access.
The DLP partners are training pig production farmers like Mr Hoang Van Thuan on how to implement good biosecurity in the farm to avoid diseases like ASF or hog cholera. Mr Hoang Van Thuan have agreed with DLP on a strategy to further improving biosecurity conditions and practices in his farm.
He hopes to protect not only the health of his pigs but also his workers and the environment in implementing the recommendations from the DLP and FAO.
These activities were implemented under the USAID-Australian Government project and the USAID Emergency Pandemic Threats 2 Program implemented by FAO Viet Nam.
Related links
• FAO’s work on African Swine Fever
• Global action needed now to halt spread of deadly pig disease
• A GF-TADs Initiative on Global control of African Swine Fever