Farmers are still hesitant about the African swine fever vaccine

Not correctly understanding the African swine fever vaccine In Vinh Long, a province with a total herd of about 183,000 pigs, farmers face difficulties not only because of the decline in pig prices but also because of the complicated development of African swine fever. 

From the beginning of the year until now, authorities have recorded nine outbreaks in the Tra On, Long Ho, and Tam Binh districts. About 7 tons of infected pigs had to be destroyed, causing significant loss to farmers. 

Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary, and Fisheries of Vinh Long province, said that most of the pig-raising households in the area are on a small scale and are aware of biosecurity and disease prevention. Livestock herds are limited. In addition, erratic sunny and rainy weather combined with rising tides creates favorable conditions for spreading diseases in farming households that do not ensure barn hygiene. 

Mr. Tung also advised that people, greedy for low prices, should buy pig breeds through social networks without paying attention to the origin, accidentally bringing in disease germs from other localities. Pig farmers have not proactively vaccinated. Data from agents and veterinary stations in the province show that the number of African swine fever vaccines sold is minimal.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son, in Hamlet 5, owns a pig farm with about 100 pigs for both sow and meat. He cleans the barn, sprays disinfectant regularly, and does not allow strangers to enter the pig farm to avoid disease. However, when asked about African swine fever vaccination for livestock, he explained: "Previously, I saw some households vaccinated, but the results were not as expected, and the vaccine price was very high, more than VND 50,000/injection, so I haven't had the injection yet."

According to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai in Thanh Hung hamlet, who has more than 30 years of experience raising pigs, her herd of pigs currently has about 60 pigs and can be sold in about one month. However, the current selling price of live pigs is relatively low, ranging from VND 45,000-50,000/kg. If she continues to raise and feed food, she will have to compensate for a loss of about VND 100,000 per pig, so she does not want to vaccinate her livestock. 

Similarly, in Tra Vinh province, African swine fever first appeared and caused severe damage to the local livestock industry. From the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, provincial authorities destroyed more than 86,000 pigs infected with African swine fever from 3,900 households, with a total weight of nearly 4,000 tonnes. Tra Vinh province has allocated more than VND 140 billion to support livestock households damaged by African swine fever to restore production. 

In the first quarter of this year, African swine fever recurred in Cau Ke district, Tra Vinh province. This province has implemented the program: Month of general cleaning, disinfection, and environmental detoxification to prevent epidemics.

Veterinary staff have sprayed disinfectant chemicals on more than 260,000 livestock households across the province and increased vaccination work. However, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tra Vinh province, by the end of September, the vaccination rate for livestock was low; Only 752 pigs have been vaccinated against DTHCP, while the total pig population in the province is over 272,000. 

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Diem, a veterinary collaborator in Phuoc Hao commune, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province, shared that African swine fever vaccination is facing difficulties because people's awareness about disease prevention for livestock is still limited. When veterinary staff go to each household to vaccinate, many people refuse because they believe that vaccination can slow the growth of pigs and cause disease from the vaccinator.

According to Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary, and Fisheries of Vinh Long province, all types of African swine fever vaccines currently in circulation have been tested by specialized agencies to ensure effectiveness and safety and have been licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, proving very high safety. Therefore, Mr. Tung recommends that farmers should boldly vaccinate to protect the health of livestock. 

"We are strengthening surveillance and monitoring of the African swine fever situation throughout the province. In particular, the region is building and re-granting ten safe livestock facilities to cope with African swine fever. At the same time, it promotes propaganda and guides pig farmers on disease prevention measures.

Currently, Vietnam has successfully produced and exported African swine fever vaccines to many countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Myanmar. In the context of a complicated epidemic, to minimize the risk of economic loss, farmers need to implement disease prevention measures according to the guidance of specialized agencies, including vaccination against African swine fever,” Mr. Tung added. 

The Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary, and Fisheries of Vinh Long province said that not only veterinary agencies but also vaccine production enterprises need to promote propaganda so that farmers correctly understand the African swine fever vaccine.