Science-tech create solid foundation for livestock farming

Disease pressure rises in small-scale livestock farming

Following the administrative merger, Dong Nai continues to maintain its role as the country’s “livestock capital” with a large animal population and a steadily increasing supply to the market. In 2025, the province supplied nearly 1.16 million tons of meat, up more than 5.4% from the previous year, contributing significantly to food security for southern Vietnam and the country as a whole.

Alongside the rapid growth in livestock numbers, the local livestock sector is facing numerous challenges, particularly risks of disease. Due to high farming density, major transport routes crossing the province, and vibrant trading and transportation activities, Dong Nai remains highly vulnerable to large-scale disease outbreaks.

This province currently has around 3.94 million pigs and over 32.6 million chickens, with farm-scale production accounting for a large proportion. Nevertheless, small-scale farming still exists. Approximately 12,500 pig-raising households and nearly 26,500 chicken-raising households can be located within residential areas. This sector carries high risks because biosecurity measures are not fully implemented, not to mention the limitations in terms of veterinary hygiene conditions.

In 2025, the province recorded African swine fever outbreaks at 178 livestock facilities across 37 communes, resulting in the culling of more than 7,400 pigs, an increase of over 135% from the previous year. Other diseases, such as avian influenza and lumpy skin disease in cattle, continued to appear sporadically, affecting production.

According to experts, diseases often emerge in small-scale farming households where the control of breeding stock, feed, environment, and care processes is inadequate. This is a major weakness that must be addressed if the livestock sector is to develop sustainably.

There is a case in Xuan Dong commune in which a farm imported breeding pigs from outside without strict controls, leading to an African swine fever outbreak. Although it was quickly contained, the incident highlights the persistent risk of disease when input sources and farming processes are not properly managed.

Under mounting disease pressure, Dong Nai is promoting the transition from small-scale livestock farming to concentrated, farm-scale husbandry associated with large-scale commodity production. Since the beginning of 2026, local authorities have proactively developed disease prevention and control plans, allocated resources, and implemented synchronized solutions.

Communication and awareness-raising for livestock farmers have also been strengthened, particularly regarding compliance with biosecurity farming procedures. Localities are intensifying vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance, especially in high-risk areas. Control over slaughtering and the trade of animal products is being tightened to reduce the risk of disease transmission.

Science and technology drive sustainable development

According to the Dong Nai Livestock Association, the local livestock industry still faces many challenges, especially African swine fever with increasingly complex variants, while vaccine effectiveness remains unstable. In addition, illegal slaughtering activities have not been fully controlled, posing risks of disease spread and food safety violations. Competition from low-cost imported meat is also creating urgent pressure to improve product quality and reduce production costs.

In this context, the application of science and technology has been identified as a key solution for improving production efficiency and disease control. In recent years, Dong Nai has attracted many enterprises to invest in high-tech livestock farming, applying modern processes in breeding stock, feed, barn design, and disease management.

Technology adoption not only helps optimize costs and improve productivity but also contributes to effective disease control, better product quality, and compliance with increasingly strict market requirements. At the same time, it provides an important foundation for establishing closed production chains linking farming, slaughtering, processing, and distribution.

According to Dong Nai’s Sub-Department of Animal Health and Production, farm-scale livestock production now accounts for more than 90% of the province’s total herd population. Disease surveillance is carried out regularly to detect pathogens early and proactively implement prevention and control measures. When outbreaks occur, veterinary forces coordinate with local authorities to handle them promptly and limit their spread.

“By 2030, the province aims to increase its pig herd to around 5 million head and its chicken flock to approximately 40 million birds, while strongly developing modern livestock value chains. As for large-scale livestock farming, the application of science and technology is a prerequisite for establishing safe and sustainable production chains,” said Nguyen Van Thang, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Environment.