African swine fever and sustainability lessons in modern livestock production

Few diseases have caused such severe and prolonged consequences in the history of the livestock industry as African swine fever (ASF). This is not only a threat to pig herds but also directly impacts food security, the economy, and the livelihoods of millions of farming households. ASF is seen as a silent crisis, harmless to humans but leaving deep scars on social life and consumer psychology.

The mortality rate among pigs infected with ASF is nearly absolute. Each farm wiped out means families are losing their primary source of income, and food supply chains are being disrupted.

In many countries, pork is not merely an agricultural product but an essential source of nutrition, accounting for up to 31% of global meat consumption. Therefore, ASF is not just an animal disease but a significant challenge for the sustainable development of the livestock industry.

Challenges in controlling ASF

For many years, controlling ASF was nearly unfeasible. With no vaccine or specific treatment available, countries had to rely solely on traditional measures such as enhanced biosecurity, mandatory culling, and transport restrictions. While these measures are necessary, they are largely defensive, costly, and often result in social consequences.

The recent development of ASF vaccines has opened up new hope. Several types have been approved for field use in a few countries, laying the foundation for a proactive disease prevention strategy. However, current vaccines still have many limitations. Specifically, their application scope remains narrow; they cannot yet be deployed on a large scale; and more time is needed to evaluate their effectiveness.

Role of international vaccine standards

Recognizing the importance of vaccines, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) adopted ASF vaccine standards at its 92^nd General Assembly Session. This set of standards acts both as a technical framework and a shared commitment to ensure that vaccines are used safely, effectively, and appropriately for each epidemiological region.

Accordingly, ASF vaccines must meet three core principles. First is efficiency, reducing symptoms, limiting transmission, and providing durable immunity. Second is safety, which means no serious side effects, no release of wild-type virus, and no environmental impact. Third is epidemiological relevance, which is compatible with the virus genotypes circulating in the region and minimizes the risk of creating harder-to-control new strains.

This is an important step forward, but it also serves as a reminder that haste, the use of poor-quality vaccines, or non-compliance with international standards could exacerbate the epidemic.

To date, at least 24 ASF virus strains with varying levels of virulence have been identified in the environment, and the actual number is likely higher. Current vaccines can only protect against a limited number of strains in market hogs, and their efficiency remains a subject of debate.

Lesson about sustainable development

ASF has posed unprecedented challenges to Vietnam's pig farming industry. However, within every risk lies opportunity. It serves as a reminder of the necessity for a sustainable, safe, and responsible livestock system.

With the coordinated efforts of the government, businesses, scientists, and farmers, Vietnam can transform the ASF crisis into a driving force for restructuring the industry toward a more stable future for rural areas and the national food market.

ASF is not merely a veterinary issue; it is also a testament to the fragility of the modern livestock system, with overreliance on a single species, lack of biodiversity, and insufficient safety layers. A sustainable strategy must take a multi-layered approach, including on-farm biosecurity, transport and trade management, epidemiological surveillance, vaccine application, and community awareness. This underscores that modern livestock production cannot chase short-term productivity and profit alone but must be viewed within a broader context of protecting the environment, ensuring food security, and safeguarding community livelihoods.

Impacts and lessons from Vietnam

ASF in Vietnam has left far-reaching consequences, such as volatile pork prices, significant economic losses, exhausted farmers, and shaky consumer confidence. The disease also exposed weaknesses in the country’s pig farming system, including small-scale, fragmented operations with a lack of linkages, making them highly vulnerable to diseases; limited surveillance and quarantine capacity, complicating early detection and containment; and, in some regions, a psychology to conceal outbreaks or sell sick pigs, inadvertently accelerating the spread of the disease.

Therefore, ASF is not merely a veterinary disease but also a test of the livestock industry's management capacity during its transition toward a modern and sustainable model.

Solutions for Vietnam

To control and ultimately contain ASF, Vietnam’s livestock industry should view the disease as an opportunity to restructure toward a safer and more sustainable model, focusing on specific solutions.

1. Financial support and controlled repopulation: Provide preferential credit, livestock insurance, and compensation for losses; repopulation should follow epidemiological recommendations and be linked with breed control and biosecurity measures.

2. Strengthening disease surveillance capacity: Invest in modern monitoring systems, apply digital technologies, and establish an integrated national database connecting central and local levels.

3. Developing biosecure farming models: Provide technical support to smallholders and establish disease-safe farm clusters. However, it is important to emphasize that no farming system or process can guarantee 100% biosecurity against ASF.

In reality, some farms have never experienced ASF, not solely due to absolute prevention measures but sometimes due to luck. Nevertheless, farmers must be reminded that only maintaining strict biosecurity 365 days a year can minimize risks. Once an outbreak occurs, mass culling of pig herds becomes a difficult problem, with limited land for landfill, complex epidemiological spread risks, and difficulties in repopulation since the virus can persist in bone marrow for many years.

4. Promoting chain linkage and scale transformation: Establish cooperatives and production–consumption alliances; encourage businesses to invest in closed chains from breeds to distribution.

5. Accelerating research and international collaboration on vaccines: Participate in joint research projects, conduct vaccine trials according to WOAH standards, and encourage domestic vaccine production to gradually master the technology.

6. Communication and awareness raising: Train farmers on disease prevention, handling of dead pigs, and reporting responsibilities; carry out broad public communication to build social consensus.