Applying biosecurity in livestock farming reduces disease concerns

Disease control with modern livestock production systems

Thanh Hoa province currently has 72 large-scale livestock enterprises operating with investment capital of up to tens of thousands of billions of VND. Enterprises have linked up and formed livestock chains in the form of contracts, bringing high economic value. Many enterprises have invested in building large livestock farms attached to processing facilities or slaughterhouses.

The development of large-scale livestock farming, the application of high technology, and the construction of disease-free areas have been contributing to the sustainable development of this province's livestock industry, increasing the competitiveness in the market through higher product quality and contributing to raising income for farmers.

The project of raising dairy cows and processing milk on an industrial scale (Yen My commune, Nong Cong district, Thanh Hoa) invested by Yen My Hi-tech Application in Agriculture and Dairy Food Two Member Company Limited (Yen My Food Co., Ltd) with a total investment of VND 3.8 trillion, has recently completed phase 1.

The company’s farm is raising more than 4,700 cows, of which more than 3,100 are in the milk production stage. It is expected that by December 2024, the total herd of cows in the project will reach 6,000. The farm is applying some of the world's most advanced and modern technology in dairy farming, including herd management systems, disease and veterinary management, wastewater treatment, and closed automatic milking systems.

La Minh Nam, General Director of Yen My Food Co., Ltd, said, “To ensure disease safety in high-tech livestock farming, the company's leaders thoroughly inform each employee and strictly implement the disinfection and sanitization process when entering and leaving the work area”.

In the livestock area, barns are built in two forms. The first is free-range barns where the floor is covered with biological bedding (rice husks or sawdust). As for the separate confinement area, the barn floor is covered with organic material made from processed cow manure to help save costs and ensure disease safety. Cow manure is separated from residue, sterilized, and infectious pathogens are eliminated.

The feed source for cows is mainly imported and partly self-produced, meeting clean and safe standards. After being mixed, the feed will be sampled and tested to control toxins. The livestock barn system always has ventilation fans and mist sprayers to ensure suitable temperature and humidity. The company also pays great attention to vaccination so as to proactively prevent diseases effectively for the herd specifically dangerous infectious diseases.

Building disease-free zones while promoting biosecurity in livestock farming

In the first 6 months of 2024, Thanh Hoa's livestock industry still achieved positive results with a production value of more than 5.5 trillion VND, up 4.8% over the same period. The output of fresh meat of all kinds reaches 150,000 tons.

In recent times, livestock farming has continued to have a positive shift from small-scale and household farming to farm-scale and family farming in the direction of industry and semi-industrial with disease control and environmental safety as key factors.

“Applying biosecurity in livestock farming is an important solution to prevent epidemics, and Thanh Hoa province is also conscious of this direction for the development of the livestock industry. Thanks to biosafe livestock farming and the construction of disease-free areas, livestock are well-protected, contributing to sustainable development,” said Nguyen Trong Cuong, Head of Breed Management and Livestock Techniques, Thanh Hoa Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health.

Thanh Hoa province has come up with many solutions to develop biosecurity in livestock farming models such as opening training courses, encouraging farm owners to build disease-free livestock farms, and providing support to local farms to reduce the risk of disease infection.

Thanks to its proven effectiveness in terms of economy and disease prevention, more and more farming households are open to biosecurity livestock farming measures. Now tens of thousands of families in the province are practicing biosafe farming. This helps farmers stabilize and expand their farming scale, contributing to increasing income and improving livelihood.