Vietnam is particularly concerned about antibiotic resistance in livestock

On May 21 (Paris time, France), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) held the 90th Annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates. Representing the Government of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien delivered a speech in the opening ceremony.

" Over the years, Vietnam has implemented many measures to promote animal health and welfare, coordinated with countries in controlling animal health risks through the One Health approach. As a member of the World Organization for Animal Health, Vietnam has been putting the above goals into the national missions, concretized in documents such as the Law on Veterinary Medicine, the Law on Animal Husbandry, the Law on Fisheries, as well as other livestock and aquaculture development strategies, national programs and plans on animal disease prevention and control," said the Vietnamese representative.

Since 2003 Vietnam has paid close attention and proactively controlled zoonotic diseases, along with other matters concerning antibiotic resistance in agriculture. After 20 years, the Vietnam One Health Partnership Framework on these issues has been raised to a new height thanks to multi-sectoral coordination between three ministries: the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, Vietnam is one of the first countries to issue a multi-sectoral One Health National Plan on the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases, which specifies the tasks and objectives of the partnership framework in the 5-year period, clearly defining the roles of stakeholders in disease prevention and control.

Five groups of tasks are listed by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien: Organize 4 times to assess the capacity of the veterinary industry; Build a strict system of legal documents; Strengthen laboratory capacity, produce effective vaccines against animal diseases; Coordinate to organize important events of the World Organization for Animal Health in Vietnam; Cooperate on an international scale, promote trade.

"Thanks to the support of the international community, along with the constant efforts of the veterinary industry, ready to face changes, Vietnam has harvested many achievements in recent years", the leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Vietnam has well-controlled epidemics in livestock and aquaculture, including dangerous diseases that can be transmitted to humans such as avian influenza, rabies, blue ear disease, foot and mouth disease, and African swine fever. Along with that, Vietnam has built more than 2,300 facilities and disease-free breeding areas, researched and produced over 16,000 veterinary drugs and vaccines for animals, meeting more than 80% of the market demand. One highlight of 2022 was that Vietnam collaborated with scientists from the US Department of Agriculture and successfully produced a vaccine for African swine fever.

 Thanks to good veterinary practice, Vietnam’s livestock industry has an average growth rate of 5-6% per year. By the end of 2022, the total poultry population reaches nearly 550 million heads. The total pig herd is estimated at 26.3 million heads and the cattle herd exceeds 6.6 million heads. The average growth of aquaculture output is 3-4% per year.

In order for animal husbandry, aquaculture as well as veterinary work to keep the momentum of development, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed several ideas to the World Organization for Animal Health. Among them, he noted the good control of antibiotic resistance and the research and production of important vaccines.

On the occasion of the 90th Annual General Session, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien expressed gratitude toward the World Organization for Animal Health for creating a mechanism and forum for countries around the world to unanimously carry out the task of protecting animal health.

On behalf of the Government of Vietnam, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien pledged to continue to support and well integrate the tasks and goals of the World Organization for Animal Health on veterinary work into the national operating mechanism of Vietnam, ready to expand cooperation on the protection of animal and human health.