Against the backdrop of erratic weather developments and lingering risks of livestock epidemics, maintaining the sector’s growth no longer relies solely on expanding scales but demands multiple synchronous solutions to step-by-step build a livestock farming industry that adapts well to risks, upgrades economic efficiency, and ensures epidemic safety.

The total livestock population of the entire province is currently estimated at over 557,000 heads of cattle and over 5 million poultry, standing as an important resource serving agricultural economic development and market food supplies. In recent years, alongside maintaining indigenous livestock breeds suitable for natural conditions, the province has paid attention to importing and crossbreeding foreign varieties to upgrade the productivity and quality of the herds.

Some large-scale pig farming facilities have proactively produced their own breeding stock to serve internal needs, reducing dependence on external sources. Artificial insemination activities for cattle and pig herds continue to be effectively maintained across many localities, contributing to improving breed quality, increasing productivity, and step-by-step forming concentrated commodity livestock production zones.

However, the livestock sector still faces numerous difficulties. Since the beginning of the year, the province has recorded several dangerous infectious diseases such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease appearing sporadically across a number of localities. The occurrence of epidemics in some communes sets forth an urgent demand for disease prevention and control. Localities have simultaneously applied mechanical and chemical measures alongside multiple technical solutions to cleanse the livestock environment, destroying the pathogens of African swine fever, avian influenza, lumpy skin disease, and many other infectious agents capable of transmitting between animals and humans.

Thanh Nưa commune is one of the areas heavily affected by African swine fever. Implementing the month for general environmental hygiene, disinfection, and sterilization, the commune utilized 1,740 liters of disinfectant to spray at livestock households, markets, and animal slaughter areas. Based on the actual scale and number of livestock households, the chemicals were distributed to various villages, with the largest amounts allocated to Co Mỵ, Mển, Bánh, Nậm Ty 1, Tâu 3, and Độc Lập hamlet.

Whenever the weather changes seasons, livestock typically face the risk of developing multiple diseases. Buffaloes and cows have seen past occurrences of foot-and-mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, pasteurellosis, anthrax, and cold-induced pneumonia. Pig herds always harbor latent risks of recurring African swine fever, blue ear disease, and pasteurellosis, while poultry often see outbreaks of avian influenza, pasteurellosis, and duck plague when weather conditions fluctuate. These factors require disease prevention work to be deployed proactively, synchronously, and continuously instead of only being handled once epidemics have already broken out.

Among disease prevention solutions, vaccination is identified as the most proactive, effective, and sustainable measure. Funded by the province’s 2026 agricultural development support capital, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has deployed an adequate supply of vaccines against diseases for cattle and poultry, including anthrax, bovine pasteurellosis, classical swine fever, avian influenza, and foot-and-mouth disease type O. Organizing mass vaccinations helps generate active immunity for buffalo, cow, pig, and poultry herds, forming herd immunity to lower the risk of dangerous infectious diseases and establishing a foundation for stable livestock development.

In Na Son commune, beside responding to the general sanitation and disinfection month of the province, farming facilities and households have proactively purchased extra chemicals and lime powder to clean barns and aquaculture areas in accordance with correct technical workflows. Vaccination work has also been urgently deployed by the locality across all 41 villages and residential groups under a rapid, punctual, and simultaneous motto to maximize vaccine efficacy, minimizing the risk of missing any eligible livestock.

Preparations for the vaccination drive have been thoroughly executed by Na Sang commune. The locality received 1,950 doses of bovine pasteurellosis vaccine, 1,450 doses of classical swine fever vaccine, and 19,500 doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine. Starting from July 2, mass vaccinations are expected to be deployed simultaneously with the target of reaching at least 80% of the total eligible livestock herd. The campaign will prioritize areas with large herd scales such as Ma Thì Hồ, Sa Lông, and Na Sang to generate rapid immunity across a wide area, blocking external disease infiltration and limiting the risk of local outbreaks.

Nguyễn Văn Thành, Vice Chairman of the Na Sang commune People’s Committee, stated that to guarantee vaccination efficiency, the commune has directed specialized units to coordinate tightly. Vaccines will be administered to buffalo, cow, and pig herds at farming facilities and households across 39 local villages. The commune requires village heads to notify specific vaccination schedules to each household at least three days in advance, while disseminating and mobilizing residents to bring their livestock back from upland fields and farms to vaccination zones or facilitate veterinary cadres to vaccinate directly at households, ensuring no eligible animals are missed.

Veterinary cadres have coordinated with villages and the grassroots-level veterinary network to establish mobile vaccination teams and groups. These working groups are assigned to oversee specific areas, executing rapid vaccinations with the correct techniques, targeting the right subjects, and providing adequate dosages for each animal.

Meanwhile, deploying the month for general environmental hygiene, disinfection, and sterilization, Pa Ham commune organized the spraying of 400 liters of POVIDINE 10% disinfectant over an area of approximately 400,000 m² of livestock barns. Specialized cadres have stepped up propaganda and guidance for residents to regularly sweep, collect waste, scatter lime powder, and sanitize livestock areas and surrounding environments to destroy pathogens from the very start, lowering the risk of disease outbreaks under adverse weather conditions.

Sustainable livestock development is not only the responsibility of farmers but also requires the continuous companionship of the province and authorities across all levels. Under complex weather developments, strictly maintaining biosecurity measures combined with environmental disinfection and full vaccinations will serve as a vital foundation for the province’s livestock sector to develop safely, effectively, and sustainably, helping residents securely invest, expand production, elevate incomes, and stabilize long-term livelihoods.