African swine fever threatens Vietnam’s pork supply, food security
Over 30,000 pigs culled as outbreaks hit more than half of the country
VIETNAM – Pork supply in Vietnam is under pressure as African swine fever continues to spread, prompting mass culling and raising concerns over food availability.
So far this year, authorities have reported 514 separate outbreaks of the disease across 28 out of 34 provinces and cities, leading to the slaughter of over 30,000 pigs, according to a government statement.
The Vietnamese government has warned that the situation is worsening, with increasing risks to the country’s pig farming sector, food reserves, and the surrounding environment.
As a result, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued an urgent directive instructing local governments and agencies to implement containment strategies to stop further spread of the virus.
Although Vietnam approved the commercial use of domestically developed African swine fever vaccines in 2023, vaccine coverage among pig populations remains limited.
A livestock officer from Quang Ngai province, where cases have recently been recorded, said only about 30% of pigs in the area have received the vaccine.
The official noted that the reasons for low uptake remain unclear, citing possible issues with distribution, pricing, or confidence in the vaccine’s performance.
Another provincial representative, speaking anonymously, echoed similar concerns and said local authorities are still trying to identify what is hindering mass vaccination.
Neither the Department of Animal Health under the agriculture ministry nor AVAC Vietnam JSC, the country’s main vaccine producer, responded to Reuters’ queries on the matter.
In June, AVAC Vietnam reported it had distributed 3 million vaccine doses within the country and shipped an additional 600,000 doses to the Philippines and Indonesia.
African swine fever has impacted the global pork industry for years, with one of the most severe episodes occurring between 2018 and 2019 in China.
During that period, roughly half of China’s domestic pig population was wiped out, resulting in losses estimated to exceed US$100 billion (Ksh15.9 trillion).
Vietnam’s current outbreak is now drawing attention due to its potential to disrupt meat supply chains across the region, especially with limited vaccine protection in place.
Efforts to contain the disease will likely continue to face challenges unless both vaccine accessibility and public confidence improve in the coming weeks.
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