In Dong Nai, there is a situation where traders are illegally importing piglets from Thailand for sale. These are pigs of unknown origin, so the risk of disease is very high, especially African swine fever.
Piglet prices have increased
Mr. Le Van Dung’s pig farm in Vinh Cuu district, Dong Nai has a capacity of 3,000 pigs. Preparing for the upcoming Lunar New Year, 2 weeks ago he bought 800 piglets (weaned pigs) to raise. At this time, he wants to buy 800 more piglets but cannot, because the limited supply makes it difficult to buy in large quantities.
Recently, Mr. Dung ordered 500 more piglets from Japfa Comfeed Vietnam Company, however, the company did not have enough quantity to deliver immediately and scheduled it for about 2 months. Mr. Dung is worried that he will not be able to make it in time for Tet, because not only this company but many other companies, including large pig breeding farms, do not have enough piglets to deliver at this time.
Due to the shortage of supply, the price of piglets has increased, currently more than 2 million VND/head (about 10 kg), while 2-3 months ago, the price was only 1.5-1.6 million VND/head. A few weeks ago, the price of piglets was 1.7-1.8 million VND/head.
Currently, there are smuggled piglets on the market for sale at cheaper prices, but Mr. Dung does not dare to buy them: “I do not dare to buy smuggled pigs from other places, because I do not know their origin. Since farms from one area to another are not monitored, the risk of African swine fever infection is normal, especially when pigs smuggled from Thailand have to go through many transit points, so the risk of disease is very high.”
Smuggling breeding pigs
According to many farmers, the current supply of piglets has decreased because recently, African swine fever has damaged the breeding herd, the profit from pig farming is unstable, so some people have reduced the size of their herds. Along with that, recently, the authorities have tightened regulations on the environment and livestock planning, so many barns have had to be relocated and have not yet stabilized.
African swine fever has damaged pig breeding herds, and pig farming profits are uncertain, so some people have reduced their herd size, leading to a shortage in piglet supply.
Due to the shortage of piglets to meet the demand for pig farming during Tet, there has been a situation of smuggling piglets from Thailand for sale. The price of breeding pigs from Thailand is cheaper than that from Vietnam, about 1.5 million VND/one (10 kg). Traders smuggle pigs to sell at a price about 200,000 VND/one lower than the domestic price. Therefore, some people also risk buying these smuggled pigs to raise them for Tet. While these are smuggled pigs, their origin is unknown, they are not quarantined by veterinary authorities, and there is also an epidemic in this country, so the risk of disease transmission is very high.
Faced with this situation, Mr. Nguyen Kim Doan, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Province Livestock Association, said that in order to prevent the spread of disease to the domestic pig farming industry, the authorities should strengthen inspection and control: “It is necessary to continue to control smuggled pigs at the border to help the domestic pig farming industry stabilize in terms of epidemiology. Because the epidemic in the countries around us is very severe, in some cases they are “selling well”. If the situation at the border is not controlled, the domestic livestock industry will have more difficulties.
To strengthen disease prevention and control in pig herds, especially African swine fever, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Dong Nai province is implementing disinfection campaigns in high-risk markets and old epidemic areas, etc. At the same time, the Department is stepping up control of the purchase, sale and transportation, especially of breeding pigs raising for meat during Tet.
Mr. Nguyen Truong Giang – Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Dong Nai province said: “It is recommended that farmers ensure biosafety, implement disinfection measures to prevent pathogens from spreading to their farms; buy breeding animals of clear origin. The veterinary sector is also strengthening control and quarantine work. For pigs and pork products imported from other localities, they must have a certificate of exit from the province, be quarantined and the pigs must come from farms that are disease-free”.
To develop sustainable livestock farming, it is necessary to ensure disease safety, which requires not only the efforts of the authorities but also the efforts of the farmers. If farm owners, for immediate benefits, do not strictly follow disease prevention rules and use breeding pigs of unknown origin, the risk of disease is very unpredictable, especially African swine fever. This not only causes damage to the farm but also greatly affects the livestock industry nationwide.
Le Hang
Source: VOV Online