Household pig farming has lifeline thanks to ASF vaccine: 'While there's life, there's hope,' unexpectedly find 'secret'

Bài liên quan

Pig farming households gain a new lifeline with ASF vaccine

Sharing the story of using vaccines to prevent and control African swine fever (ASF) disease for his pig herd, Mr. Hoang Van Chuyen in Chua hamlet (Bong Mac village, Lien Mac commune, Me Linh district, Hanoi) happily and openly said, "My family's pig herd of more than 20 sows and 200 porkers is an asset and a support for the whole family. But there were extremely difficult times."

Mr. Chuyen said that in 2019, ASF disease suddenly arrived, swept, and destroyed every farm in the village. His family's barn had nothing left; he lost his job, and his future suddenly became undetermined.

After that time, he gradually recovered, and in 2020, he boldly repopulated the herd with borrowed capital. However, in early 2024, the ASF epidemic broke out again and once again threatened the livelihood of his family and surrounding pig farming households.

At the beginning of the 2024 epidemic, Mr. Chuyen witnessed his neighbors losing their entire pig herds one after another. Herds of pigs in the area alternately collapsed without anything being able to stop them. Faced with an urgent situation, he had only one wish, which was to protect his pig herd anyway.

Right when it seemed like there was no hope left, his friend, a technical officer of an FDI livestock enterprise, introduced him to the vaccination solution with ASF vaccine (AVAC ASF LIVE), produced by AVAC Vietnam Joint Stock Company. Initially, Mr. Chuyen was worried and confused because he had never tested this vaccine. However, with the disease spreading everywhere, he decided to try because this was the only way left.

"At that time, I thought I might lose everything, so I vaccinated my pig herd to try my luck, with the thinking of 'while there's life, there's hope'," Mr. Chuyen recalled.

In March 2024, Mr. Chuyen decided to vaccinate more than 300 porkers and all sows that are baby-raising and pregnant, which most farmers do not dare to do because the risk is too great. But the disease has spread everywhere. If he did not vaccinate, he knew the pig herd would not be able to avoid the disease.

This decision finally brought unexpected results for Mr. Chuyen, no different from finding the "secret" of pig farming while "drowning.". After vaccination with the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, the pig herd grew healthily, and more than 300 porkers first vaccinated were successfully sold. All piglets born from the farm's 24 sows were vaccinated after weaning. Since then, he has been selling over 100 porkers every month.

But vaccinating the sow herd is more complicated. When deciding to simultaneously vaccinate all sows on the farm with the ASF vaccine, some sows in the late stages of pregnancy developed mastitis or gave birth to stillborn or prematurely dead piglets. However, he still kept about 50% of the piglets to continue raising. However, sows that were vaccinated before breeding gave birth normally without complications. Actual results of using the vaccine on his farm are consistent with data from the manufacturer.

A representative of AVAC Company said that the vaccine is safe and effectively protects sows when vaccinated during the non-pregnancy period. The company is in the process of registering additional users of this vaccine for pig breeds before providing official instructions for use to farmers.

Over 23 years of sticking with the livestock farming profession, Mr. Chuyen has experienced many ups and downs, and diseases are an inevitable part. He believes that other diseases can be handled, but for ASF disease, the risk of white barns and empty hands is very high, so ASF vaccination is the No. 1 priority.