PM asks for concrete measures against African swine fever

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the conference.

Presiding over a teleconference in Hanoi on March 4 aimed at launching urgent solutions to stop the outbreak of the African swine fever virus (ASFV), Prime Minister Phuc required the heads of provincial-level People’s Committees to take responsibility for handling the viral epidemic and the results of disease control across their respective localities.

PM Phuc also called for combined efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as well as its relevant departments and localities to take prompt measures on preventing the spread of disease.

Pig breeding is seen as an essential part of the domestic animal husbandry industry. Last year, the country’s pork output reached 3.8 million tons (live weight), or 72 per cent of the total meat outputs. Vietnam now has more than 2.5 million pig raising households on a small scale, accounting for nearly half of the total pig herds.

The viral disease initially broke out in Hung Yen province, before being detected in other northern localities, including Thai Binh, Haiphong, Hanoi, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, and the central province of Thanh Hoa. So far, 33 communes of these seven provinces have been hit by the ASFV.

As many as 4,231 pigs found with the disease were culled and buried. However, the ASFV has lingered in some localities as the culling of diseased pigs had not been strictly implemented. This was caused by several pig breeders not intentionally reporting and culling infected pigs in order to earn more profits from the prices of pigs soaring ahead of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.

In a drastic response to the disease, the Prime Minister last month issued Directive No.04 on defining some measures dedicated to raising public awareness and increasing the efforts of authorities at all levels to cope with the epidemic.

Also at the conference, PM Phuc asked the entire political system, authorities at all levels, agencies, enterprises, and nationwide pig breeders to strictly carry out the Directive No. 04 and synchronous measures to control the disease effectively.

He also required that the Ministry of Information and Communications should make profound popularization of the real impacts the viral disease could result in. The ASFV is reportedly a contagious viral disease impacting only pigs, not people, therefore it is not considered a public health threat or food safety concern. 

PM Phuc said the popularization work is to help locals hold a positive attitude to uninfected pork. He added that healthy pig herds should be avoided being culled, noting the culling of healthy pigs could have adverse effects on the domestic animal husbandry industry.

He also directed the Ministry of Transport to take measures on controlling pig transport over long distances.

Meanwhile, the MARD was asked to provide sufficient chemicals used for disinfection and more tailored solutions for affected localities. This would be preferred instead of setting a common solution for applicable for all 63 provinces and cities across the country.