Ben Tre keeps livestock herds safe from dangerous diseases

All livestock diseases have decreased and been put under control

According to Tran Quang Thai, Head of Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, the unit has not recorded any new cases of dangerous infectious diseases in livestock and poultry, such as foot and mouth disease, blue ear disease, lumpy skin disease, and avian influenza. Other common diseases occurred at a mild level compared to the same period last year, with no signs of spreading and most of the sick livestock were cured, hence a low mortality rate.

To be more specific, in pigs, pasteurellosis decreased by 3% with 1,118 sick animals and 117 dead animals; E.coli decreased by 54% with 386 sick animals and 97 dead animals; diarrhea increased by 5% with 9,099 sick animals and 386 dead animals; salmonellosis increased by 13% with 1,087 sick animals and 136 dead animals.

As for buffalo and cows, pasteurellosis decreased by more than 10% with 672 sick animals and 40 dead animals; diarrhea decreased by more than 8% with 1,508 sick animals and 61 dead animals. In poultry, pasteurellosis and chronic respiratory disease (CRD) occurred sporadically.

Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health has consulted the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to submit a document to Ben Tre People's Committee to direct the prevention of smuggling and illegal transportation of livestock and livestock products, good disease control, sustainable livestock development, and security of food supply. The Sub-Department also provides documents on disinfection, prevention of African swine fever, avian influenza, rabies prevention, etc.

Livestock and poultry farming in Mo Cay Nam district is well developed. The district’s pig herd accounts for more than 50% of the total herd in Ben Tre province. As of June 2024, some localities in the district still have a very low vaccination rate for dangerous diseases, below 50% of the total herd, not ensuring safety as per regulations. Vo Van Ut, Chairman of the People's Committee of Mo Cay Nam district, has directed relevant agencies and local authorities as a response since the goal is to strengthen disease prevention for livestock.

The district People's Committee has issued an official dispatch requesting localities to immediately rectify vaccination work for dangerous and infectious diseases. The unit will reprimand localities that remain negligent specifically those where the vaccination rate is still below 50%.

Local authorities must actively disseminate information so livestock farmers can proactively vaccinate their livestock when the immunity period expires, ensuring a minimum rate of 80% of the total herd at all times. Farmers are also advised to further implement biosecurity measures to ensure disease safety.

Vaccination rates skyrocket after farmers are urged through directives

Information from Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health shows that by the end of August 2024, over 58% of the buffalo and cattle herd (nearly 100,000 heads), 71% of the pig herd (over 291,000 heads) had been vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease and still had immunity.

In the case of lumpy skin disease, 79% of the total buffalo and cattle herd (over 135,000 heads) had been vaccinated. The total poultry herd (chickens, ducks, geese) had been vaccinated with over 3.3 million heads, achieving an epidemic prevention rate of nearly 80%.

In September, over 334,000 pigs were vaccinated against swine fever (up 1.7%), over 126,000 pigs against E.coli (up 1,100%), over 58,000 pigs against salmonellosis (down 34%), and over 60,000 pigs against pasteurellosis (down 30%).

The number of buffalo and cattle vaccinated against fowl cholera was over 10,000 (up 41%). The number of poultry vaccinated against Newcastle disease was 406,000 (up 47%), 603,000 (up 491%) against Gumboro disease, 183,000 (up 30%) against fowl cholera, and 456,000 (up 585%) against duck cholera.

In the 2025 plan, Ben Tre Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health will focus on monitoring and supervising the livestock situation and prevention work at livestock farms against foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, lumpy skin disease and avian influenza. The ultimate goal is to have timely solutions for treatment. The unit will also coordinate with local authorities to implement vaccination programs to ensure the safety of livestock.

At the pig slaughter and transit facility of Phan Phan Minh Tri in Ngai Dang commune (Mo Cay Nam district), the man shows his commitment to ensuring food safety and hygiene for pork products. Every day, the slaughter output here is 50 - 60 pigs, sometimes up to 100 pigs.

"I mainly slaughter pigs from my own farm. If there is a shortage, I will buy more from local farmers. I definitely do not buy sick pigs or pigs that seem to sell well, and I do not let traders come in to slaughter them. The current price of pigs is fluctuating between VND 58,000 and 62,000 /kg. At my farm, I buy good pigs for VND 62,000/kg. At this price, farmers with ready-made piglets will make a profit of approximately VND 2 million/100 kg, and those who buy piglets will make over VND 1 million," Tri said.