On October 23, in Bac Ninh Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment held a conference on restoring livestock production and aquaculture after storms and floods, chaired by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, with the participation of representatives from 11 provinces and cities in the northern region.
The conference took place amid a series of natural disasters that have caused severe damage to agriculture, especially Typhoons No. 10 (Bualoi) and No. 11, which killed or swept away tens of thousands of livestock and millions of poultry; thousands of hectares of aquaculture and livestock facilities were damaged, seriously affecting people’s livelihoods.
SEVERE DAMAGE, MANY AREAS LEFT “EMPTY” OF LIVESTOCK
According to the Ministry’s statistics, as of October 13, total damage caused by storms and floods was estimated at about VND 46,000 billion.
The livestock sector alone suffered major losses, with nearly 37,000 head of livestock and more than 3 million poultry dead, and thousands of barns, livestock structures, and equipment flooded and damaged.
Typhoon No. 10 caused the heaviest damage of the year, killing 6,600 head of livestock and more than 1 million poultry, and damaging 4,400 barns. Then Typhoon No. 11 killed 19,200 head of livestock and 1.3 million poultry, with damage spreading across northern and north-central provinces.
The aquaculture sector was also severely affected, with 23,526 hectares of farming area flooded or having embankments breached (including 3,862 hectares of brackish-water shrimp farming and 19,664 hectares of freshwater aquaculture), along with 607 cages and rafts swept away or damaged.
Total damage in Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An was estimated at up to VND 1,553 billion.
In addition, businesses contributed more than VND 23 billion to support people in affected areas.
STRENGTHENING DISINFECTION AND STERILIZATION TO PREVENT DISEASE OUTBREAKS
Faced with the situation in which many areas have had their livestock “wiped out,” the Department of Livestock Production and the Department of Animal Health have issued a series of emergency measures to ensure biosecurity, prevent disease outbreaks, and restore production.
Localities have been instructed to clean, disinfect, and sterilize all livestock areas with lime powder or Chloramin B; properly handle dead animal carcasses in accordance with regulations to avoid pollution and the spread of pathogens.
Livestock farmers are advised to supplement vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes to strengthen the resistance of their herds and flocks; closely monitor weak animals, limit transportation, and coordinate with veterinary authorities for additional vaccinations.
During the restocking phase, breeds with clear origins, quarantine certification, and full vaccination should be selected, and restocking should only be carried out at facilities that meet biosecurity and veterinary hygiene requirements.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized: “Localities need to assign veterinary staff to directly support people in disinfection and sterilization and guide safe livestock farming procedures, so as to avoid the situation of suffering losses from natural disasters and then losing everything again to disease.”
PRIORITIZING POULTRY FLOCK RECOVERY – TOWARD SAFE, SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
Representatives from many localities agreed to propose prioritizing the recovery of poultry flocks, as this is a type of livestock that can be restocked quickly, has a short production cycle (45–90 days per batch), and can meet year-end food demand in time.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment encourages the development of biosecure livestock models, prioritizing short-cycle industrial chickens, free-range chickens, and high-quality native chicken breeds; at the same time, it warns against rushing to expand scale before veterinary hygiene conditions are met.
Localities are encouraged to develop farms and cooperatives applying high technology, closed housing systems, and environmentally friendly waste treatment, aiming toward green, safe, and sustainable livestock models.
The Institute of Aquaculture Research I and the National Agricultural Extension Center have been assigned to provide technical guidance, support the restoration of the farming environment and seed stock, helping people stabilize production as soon as possible.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien assessed: “Restoring production after natural disasters is not only an urgent task, but also an opportunity to restructure the agricultural sector toward safety, efficiency, and climate change adaptation.”
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment affirmed that it will continue to coordinate with local authorities, businesses, and research institutes to accompany people in restoring production, ensuring a stable food supply for the year-end period and Lunar New Year 2026, contributing to maintaining food security and stabilizing the domestic market.
Minh Khue
Source: nguoichannuoi.vn
