Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà chairs a meeting on the African swine fever situation on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà has called for stronger, science-based and long-term measures to tackle African swine fever (ASF), warning that prevention and control efforts must be carried out regularly and with clear accountability.

Chairing a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and other relevant agencies in Hà Nội on Friday, the Deputy PM reviewed the disease situation, identified shortcomings and discussed solutions to ensure pork supplies for the rest of the year.

According to the ministry, 926 outbreaks of ASF across 34 provinces and cities have not yet passed the 21-day mark. More than 330,000 pigs, about 0.9 per cent of the national herd, have been culled. The disease is mainly affecting smallholder farms and has not spread to large commercial enterprises.

The outbreak surged in July but has been easing since early August.

Since the start of the year, more than 50 working teams have been dispatched to guide prevention work, and about 7.8 million vaccine doses have been supplied.

However, vaccination rates remain low due to farmers’ scepticism about domestic vaccines, despite post-vaccination mortality being only 0.07 per cent.

Deputy Minister Phùng Đức Tiến pointed to challenges such as the high proportion of small-scale farms, limited disease awareness, weak local veterinary systems and difficulties in culling and waste treatment due to manpower and budget constraints.

Participants warned that ASF remains complex, with new hybrid strains emerging for which no effective vaccine exists. They urged stronger surveillance, better data reporting and stricter border controls to stop the virus from entering the country.

Hà instructed the agriculture sector to clearly assign responsibilities at each level, particularly after local administrative mergers, and to improve coordination between grassroots veterinary units and central laboratories.

He called for an urgent review of animal disease control rules, streamlined outbreak declarations, daily data updates, updated vaccination guidelines, long-term stockpiles of disease-control supplies and tougher penalties, including criminal charges, for deliberately spreading ASF.

Inter-agency inspection teams will be dispatched next week to crack down on substandard slaughterhouses and tighten transport rules for pork products. Border guards and customs and police officers will step up efforts to prevent illegal imports of animals and animal products, especially those carrying disease. — VNS