FAO Viet Nam ECTAD, with financial support from USAID under the project OSRO/VIE/001/USA, is partnering with the National Agriculture Extension Centre (NAEC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to improve pig farm biosecurity and good management practices in Viet Nam towards reducing disease risks, antibiotic use and improving production efficiency.

Under this collaboration, two meetings were held on 10 and 24 February 2023 to kick off biosecurity-model development activities in Thai Nguyen and Ha Nam provinces. Thirty participants including representatives from NAEC, provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, Center for Agricultural Extension, extension officers assigned to participate in model developmet and FAO national technical consultants discussed and agreed on the objectives, model development plan and criteria for selecting model pig farms.

After the meetings, from 11 to 26 February 2023, a mission team consisting of FAO national technical consultants, livestock technicians from NAEC and provincial agricultural extension centers conducted a survey to assess the current status of biosecurity and livestock management in 25 small and medium-sized pig farms in the two provinces. The team selected eight farms to enhance biosecurity and livestock management.

The model farms developed will be replicated by the agricultural extension system contributing to reducing the risk of diseases and antibiotic use in pig production value chain in Viet Nam.