Vietnam slaughters more than 40,000 pigs to contain African swine fever

Vietnam has slaughtered 43,150 pigs, the equivalent of about 2,157 tonnes, since the beginning of this year to contain the spread of African swine fever, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Thursday citing the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Currently, 199 communes from 72 districts in 19 provinces and cities in Vietnam still have outbreaks recorded in the past 21 days, according to the report, noting that this year, the fever occurs mainly in the mountainous areas of northern Vietnam, including the provinces of Lang Son, Cao Bang and Bac Kan. Meanwhile, outbreaks of fever are found in small livestock houses that do not guarantee safety conditions, said the Pham Van Dong news agency, head of the ministry's Animal Health Department.

Total spending for preventing and combating African swine fever in Vietnam, including central budget funds and local budgets, together with funds supported by banks and credit institutions, reached more than 13 trillion Vietnamese dongs (USD565.2 million) in July this year, the news agency reported.

In 2019, African swine fever spread to all provinces and cities in Vietnam, causing the death and slaughter of about 5.9 million pigs, according to the news agency.