Pig farmers face tough time as African Swine Fever returns
Tran Thi Ly in the northern province of Tuyen Quang has just had to cull nearly 150 pigs after they were found infected with African Swine Fever (ASF). She lost over VND400 million (USD 17,391).
![](http://i.dtinews.vn/images/editor/images/lanhieu/102021/20/Big/lay-mau-xet-nghiem-dich-ta-lon-chau-phi-copy-1581390409370.jpg)
Taking samples from pigs for ASF testing
Ly said that she has raised pigs for many years and had lots of experience but it proved helpless when it came to ASF.
According to deputy head of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Department of Animal Health, Nguyen Dang Khoa, ASF outbreaks have hit many local farmers hard with some 4,000 infected pigs being culled recently.
"After facing losses due to sharply falling pig prices, now farmers are being dealt another blow with ASF returning," he said.
A report from head of the Vietnam Animal Health Department, Nguyen Van Dong, said that by October this year, as many as 1,834 ASF outbreaks had been detected in 53 out of 63 localities nationwide. The number of culled infected pigs reached 112,092 or 5,500 tonnes which doubled the figure of the same period last year.
Some provinces which reported large number of infected pigs included Nghe An with 20,196 pigs, Ha Tinh 15,048, Lang Son 10,205, Cao Bang 8,102, Tuyen Quang 3,932, Ha Giang 6,952, and Quang Nam 4,784.
Explaining about the quick spread of the disease, Dong said that many households raised pigs outdoors in small herds and do not report to local authorities when their pigs are infected.
"In many cases people slaughter the infected pigs to eat and sell, which has caused the virus to spread quickly," he noted.
Doan Xuan Truc, vice chairman of the Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam said that Vietnamese farmers are now facing major simultaneous challenges of falling prices and diseases.
"After the ASF outbreak in 2019, the number of pig farmers in Vietnam fell from three to two million," he said. "Now many farmers have limited capital and if they’re hit by another wave of ASF this year, they may stop farming altogether."
Leave your comment on this story