Establishing avian influenza and Newcastle disease-free zones

Bearing the same name as its origins, Tien Yen chicken stands as a flagship OCOP product from Quang Ninh province. Notably, Tien Yen district is currently managing a total flock of over 300,000 poultry. With the aim of maintaining the quality of local poultry products, local governments have requested farmers to strictly comply with the provided breeding procedures, which encompass nutritional regimes, rearing schedules, and free-range practices. Notably, the district is moving towards establishing disease-free zones for poultry to foster sustainable poultry production.

According to a representative from Tien Yen district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the district aims to establish avian influenza and Newcastle disease-free zones for the poultry flocks in Phong Du, Ha Lau, and Dien Xa communes in 2024. This initiative is anticipated to gradually control and eradicate avian influenza and Newcastle disease within these areas.

Additionally, the local poultry population in Phong Du, Ha Lau, and Dien Xa communes will receive vaccinations against avian influenza and Newcastle disease as part of the initiative. Local governments are responsible for the declaration of livestock activities, and compiling and managing a list of poultry farming households. Subsequently, they must update data and information regarding the local poultry populations in Phong Du, Ha Lau, and Dien Xa communes.

On the other hand, relevant parties must address administrative violations pertaining to poultry farming activities and avian influenza, Newcastle disease prevention and control in compliance with regulations.

The People's Committees of Phong Du, Ha Lau, and Dien Xa communes will appoint officers to coordinate and supervise vaccination activities; assess vaccination results; and organize sanitation, disinfection, and detoxification in the vaccination areas.

Moreover, the district will focus on disseminating information regarding the symptoms and risks of avian influenza and Newcastle disease; methods of identifying infected or suspected animals; and measures for disease prevention and control within poultry flocks.

Livestock owners are responsible for regularly monitoring their family's poultry flocks. Accordingly, they must take prompt actions upon detection of irregularities including unusual movement patterns, shaky head, tremors, fatigue, clustering behavior, respiratory symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, nasal discharge, sneezing, wheezing, sinusitis, swollen and inflamed eyelids, excessive tearing, or swollen joints.

Furthermore, poultry exhibiting symptoms of swollen head and face, swollen eyelids, darkened comb and wattles, subcutaneous hemorrhage, particularly in featherless areas, diarrhea, watery white or greenish stools, a significant drop in egg production in laying hens, shell-less egg, among others, must be isolated and reported to local authorities without delay.

The district's specialized agencies will organize avian influenza and Newcastle post-vaccination monitoring in order to assess the vaccines' effectiveness. Subsequently, the monitoring results will be utilized to establish avian influenza and Newcastle disease-free zones and facilities.

Furthermore, Quang Ninh province's Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health will conduct training sessions to enhance monitor capacity for district-level technical staff in Tien Yen.

Notably, the training sessions will cover an extensive range of topics, including poultry flock management; monitoring, investigation, and epidemiological information collection skills with a focus on avian influenza and Newcastle disease in poultry. In addition, the training topics will include techniques for collecting, preserving, and transporting suspected samples of avian influenza and Newcastle disease.

The People's Committees of Ha Lau, Phong Du, and Dien Xa communes will instruct local law enforcement agencies, military forces, and village leadership to strengthen the management and control of poultry transportation. Namely, they will be instructed to promptly detect and address the transportation of breeding and meat poultry of unverified origins into disease-free zones.

Local residents will be advised against purchasing breeding and meat poultry with unverified origins or disease control documents. This warning aims to promote implement disease prevention and control measures within the area.

Tien Yen district is currently managing 400 poultry farms with a concentrated production scale of over 500 poultry per batch. Among these facilities, there are over 10 farms that maintain an concentrated production scale of over 5,000 poultry; and 7 cooperatives that produce Tien Yen commercial poultry with scales ranging from 70,000 to 80,000 poultry per year. In 2023, Tien Yen district sold approximately 1.27 million Tien Yen chickens.