Bringing digital technology into livestock management

Building a digital foundation from the ground 

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xoan, Deputy Director of An Giang Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-department gave information. She said that, previously, the management of livestock production at households, livestock farms, livestock and poultry slaughterhouses, livestock breed businesses, and hatcheries... in An Giang province were all controlled by animal husbandry and veterinary staff. They kept writing records, summarize, and report periodically or irregularly to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station.

However, this management consumes the staff's time and effort, which sometimes causes confusion, loss of records, and inaccurate information. Inadequate information has affected the assessment, forecasting, and warning of livestock development in the province. 

Planning for disease-free livestock development, forecasting and zoning for disease control, policies to support livestock, and training on the application of science and technology in livestock production has not been timely and has not covered all livestock subjects.

An Giang is one of the provinces in the Mekong Delta leading the application of 4.0 technology in livestock and veterinary management. Consequently, the province helps the industry to manage closely with the locality, and from that foundation, An Giang livestock industry is on the rise. 

Currently, the whole province of An Giang has 156 communes, wards, and townships, all of which have a staff member in charge of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. There are 11 Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Stations at the district, town, and city levels with 22 staffs in charge of managing 4.0 technology applications in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine.

Therefore, the application of information technology in the management of livestock production in households, livestock farms, cattle and poultry slaughterhouses, livestock breed businesses, and hatcheries ... in An Giang province is necessary. This is also in line with the orientation of 4.0 technology application in livestock development management.

The application of this 4.0 technology software to livestock management has initially generated many positive signals. Information on the number of households, livestock farms, livestock and poultry slaughtering establishments, households or livestock breeding establishments, and hatching establishments,... at the commune and district levels are all updated and saved on the system. The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-department can update reports to the Department of MARD, the People's Committee of An Giang Province, MARD, and relevant agencies and units.

Deputy Director of An Giang Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-department Nguyen Thi Xoan added: The application of 4.0 technology in livestock management in An Giang has initially brought high efficiency. The purpose is to help update accurate data and better support disease inspection, surveillance, prevention, localization, and control.

Since then, the information management agency promptly informed and advised localities and individuals, establishments, and livestock businesses in the province. The digital management model also has a special meaning in the situation of African swine fever, avian influenza, and skin rash in cattle... These diseases always contain unpredictable risks that directly affect the lives of farmers.

The statistics on the software are the basis for the unit to build a livestock development plan, balance the supply and demand of livestock products, and orient the development of advantageous livestock. Up to now, the software has updated nearly 37,000 livestock facilities. Veterinary staff regularly update the software system when there is a change in the livestock production situation in the management area (increasing herd, new breeding or reduction of the herd, stopped raising of cattle).

Create a Zalo group to update livestock activity data

Mr. Nguyen Van Van, Head of the Department of MARD of Tri Ton district said, over the years, the district has deployed livestock management software provided by VNPT to all Animal Husbandry and Veterinary staff in communes and towns in the area. 

At the same time, the leaders of the stations have assigned station officers in charge of monitoring and managing the input of livestock data into the software. Consequently, it helps Animal Husbandry and Veterinary staff in communes, wards, and townships to answer, support, and solve some questions and difficulties in entering data into livestock management software.

Currently, Livestock and Veterinary staff in communes and townships have done relatively well on livestock management software. At the same time, establish a Zalo group to update livestock activity data to facilitate information exchange.

“Since the pet management software went active, it became a very necessary and highly effective topic. Thereby, the district's agricultural sector is very interested and regularly urges and reminds the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary staff to enter data. 

In addition, the direction of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station also proposed some solutions such as: assigning proficient staff and colleagues to guide the less proficient colleagues on weekdays at the Station. This will make livestock data entry more complete and efficient. 

Discuss with colleagues about data entry experience and listen to feedback on difficult problems that have not been implemented. Currently, the updating livestock information has gradually adjusted the reported data and the software”, Mr. Van informed. 

Mr. Pham Xuan Tien, staff of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine in My An commune, Cho Moi district said: Livestock management software has been developed by VNPT for nearly 4 years now. It has helped staff in charge of livestock and veterinary services in communes, wards, and townships to monitor the number of livestock households in the area. Helping to update accurate data, supporting inspection, monitoring, prevention, zoning, and disease control more effectively. Contributing to disease control in local livestock.

At the same time, it facilitates access to livestock history data and disease history to help management agencies and people proactively prevent diseases for livestock and poultry. From those favorable factors, it helps to forecast in terms of output, traceability, and market orientation for each type of livestock product.

Currently, the application of software to livestock management in An Giang province has created a breakthrough in livestock management, contributing to the control of livestock diseases in the locality. It also facilitates access to livestock history data and disease history to help management agencies and people proactively prevent diseases for livestock and poultry. This also means good livestock management, disease control, output forecasting, traceability, and market orientation for each product type.

“In the near future, fully updated information about the situation of livestock and poultry farming in the software will help the locality to manage livestock well and promptly assist people in declaring livestock activities according to the provisions of the Law on Livestock. On that basis, there is data to quickly provide information to the animal husbandry development and management agency in the province", Deputy Director of An Giang Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-department Nguyen Thi Xoan emphasized.