The pig farm, operated by Agri-Vina Agriculture Investment Company since early this year, has a capacity of 60,000 pigs and a total area of 52,000 square metres.
Although the company is raising 30,000 pigs in its first stage, thousands of residents in Tan Phuc, Tam Van, and Lang Chanh Town communes have complained about rising environmental pollution.
A resident, Le Thi Hau, said that her house is some two kilometres from the farm, and her family is struggling with the serious pollution.
"We've started smelling the bad odour since April this year," Hau said, adding that the bad smell is becoming more intense and makes them feel sick.
"We've all developed headaches, dizziness, and nausea," she said. "The bad smell usually comes between 9 pm and 10 am the next day. And we cannot sleep at night."
Another resident, Le Van Khai, also complained that the environmental pollution caused by the pig farm is making them miserable.
"The bad smell lingers around my wooden house daily, greatly affecting our health," he said.
Regarding the problem, Le Duc Tien, vice chairman of Lang Chanh District People's Committee, said they had investigated following people's complaints and found that the farm had not adequately treated its waste, causing a foul odour in surrounding areas.
"We've worked with the farm and reached an agreement that they would remove the pigs and temporarily halt their operation to solve the environmental problems from June 5 to August 5," the official said. "However, they've yet to follow the agreement and the pollution is worsening, making residents angry".
Representatives from Agri-Vina Agriculture Investment Company recently met with residents and asked for an additional two months to resolve the problems. However, the residents refused.
The district official stressed, "We'll ask them to stop operating and revoke their licence if the problems are not solved by August 5."
