How to prevent and control African swine fever in Vietnam? Chengzhu – A Guide to the Harmless Disposal of Dead Pigs

According to the latest reports from Vietnamese official media, African swine fever has killed over 108,000 pigs since the beginning of 2025, causing severe losses to pig farmers. Currently, preventing and controlling African swine fever and disposing of the dead pigs are top priorities for the Vietnamese government and pig farmers.

For pig farmers, African swine fever prevention and control is crucial for survival, and virus prevention and control must be prioritized.

Compared to large-scale farms with strong financial resources and professional teams, small and medium-sized farmers often face challenges with limited budgets and resources.

Therefore, this article will focus on low-cost, highly feasible epidemic prevention measures to help small and medium-sized farmers minimize infection risks within limited resources.

Low-cost African swine fever prevention and control: A practical protection guide for small-scale farmers

• Strengthen basic protection (zero cost and low cost)

Strict personnel control

The whole family participates in management, and outsiders are prohibited from entering the pig house (including feed salesmen)

Change clothes, shoes and hats after going out, wash hands with soap and water, and disinfect the soles of shoes by roasting them with fire (using firewood embers)

Clever use of natural isolation barriers

Dig a simple quarantine ditch (50cm wide x 30cm deep) around the farm and fill it with quicklime or wood ash to isolate pests and rodents. Use thorn bushes and bamboo fences instead of wire mesh to reduce contact with wild animals. (Quicklime should be 5-7cm thick, and the minimum thickness of wood ash should be 10-15cm.)

Time-sharing and zoned disinfection method

Before 8:00 AM, spray the exterior and passageways of the pig house with quicklime (10 yuan per 50 kg, ≈ 35,000 VND per 50 kg). After 5:00 PM, spray the interior fences with 3% caustic soda solution (3 yuan per jin, ≈ 10,500 VND per jin, caustic soda). Stagger disinfection to reduce usage.

[3% caustic soda water preparation method and safety operation guide (Vietnamese rural practical version)]

1. Basic preparation formula

Concentration Calculation Formula: Caustic Soda Weight (kg) = Water Weight (kg) × Target Concentration ÷ (1 – Target Concentration)

Example Calculation: For example, if you prepare 100 liters of 3% caustic soda water, → Caustic Soda Required = 100 kg Water × 0.03 ÷ (1 – 0.03) = 3 kg Caustic Soda.

2. Step-by-step operation process

Materials: Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide): 3 kg, Water: 100 liters (ordinary well water will do, do not use acidic water)

Tools: plastic bucket (corrosion-resistant), wooden stirring stick, protective gloves and goggles. Safety protection: wear rubber gloves, rain boots, goggles

(Motorcycle helmet mask can be used as a temporary substitute) Prepare 10% vinegar on site (for emergency rinsing in case of accidental splashing on skin)

Operation steps:

Step 1: Pour 50 liters of water into the plastic bucket first.

Step 2: Slowly add 3 kg of caustic soda, stirring as you pour. (Note: Add in the order “water → caustic soda”; do not reverse the order!)

Step 3: After it is completely dissolved, add the remaining 50 liters of water and continue stirring until no particles remain.

3. Key Points

Storage Instructions: Store the solution in a covered plastic barrel to prevent rainwater from mixing in. Label with “Highly Corrosive! 3% NaOH” + preparation date.

Failure Detection: Reconstitute when pH < 12 (pH test paper available). Replace when the solution becomes turbid or yellow.

Enhanced Use: Dissolve with 50℃ warm water to increase the bactericidal effect by 20%. Let it stand for 1 hour after spraying before rinsing with clean water (only for non-rainy season)

4. Emergency Safety Measures

Skin Contact: Immediately rinse with vinegar for 10 minutes → Rinse with clean water → Apply coconut oil (an alternative to Vaseline in rural areas)

Eye Splash: Hold the eyelids open and rinse with running water for 15 minutes → Seek medical attention immediately.

Disposal: The remaining solution can be used for septic tank disinfection (direct discharge into farmland or water sources is prohibited)

(Note: This concentration of solution can inactivate the African swine fever virus within 15 minutes, with an actual measured effect of 99.2%. The data comes from the 2025 experimental report of the Veterinary Research Institute of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

2. Precision monitoring and emergency response (low-cost alternative)

Visual monitoring skills Observe the feeding situation of the pig herd every day: abnormal pigs with a feed intake reduction of more than 40% must be isolated immediately

Examine fecal appearance: Pigs infected with African swine fever often have tarry, black feces. Homemade isolation facilities: Use woven fabric from used door panels to build a temporary isolation area (at least 50 meters from the main shed). Cover the isolation area with plastic film and 10cm thick wood ash to absorb moisture and prevent seepage.

Emergency treatment of dead pigs Site selection for deep burial pits: Utilize the high and dry areas of the hillside and use farm tools to dig a 2-meter-deep pit. Lay a 20-25 cm layer of quicklime on the bottom (not less than 15 cm after compaction to prevent the spread of the virus.)

Disinfection and covering: Use a waste cooking oil barrel to fill with quicklime powder. After drilling a hole, sprinkle it evenly on the surface of the carcass, then cover it with soil and bury it deeply.

Simultaneous Disinfection: Implement three alternating disinfection cycles in the contaminated area (first flame, then alternating with quicklime and 3% caustic soda solution).

Chengzhu Group’s Plan for the Harmless Disposal of Dead Pigs

While Vietnamese farmers are focusing on prevention and disinfection, the Vietnamese government’s policy for dealing with African swine fever should combine prevention and treatment with treatment. While strengthening epidemic prevention and control, a scientific and standardized system for the harmless disposal of dead livestock must also be established.

Vietnam’s current backlog of 108,000 dead pigs poses a major environmental threat. Inadequate harmless disposal could lead to a series of serious environmental, public health, and economic problems:

If traditional burial sites are inappropriate (e.g., near water sources or in shallow, permeable soil), incompletely disinfected carcasses may release viruses during decomposition, contaminating soil and water sources through rainwater or groundwater infiltration. The African swine fever virus can survive for over a year at 4°C, posing a long-term contamination risk.

If the temperature of simple incineration is insufficient (not continuously incinerated at above 800°C), toxic gases such as dioxins and hydrogen sulfide will be produced, leaving behind residues containing viruses. Hazardous substances such as ammonia and methane produced by the decomposition of corpses can also disrupt the balance of soil microorganisms, rendering the land unusable for cultivation in the short term.

Carcasses that are not properly buried or incinerated can become virus reservoirs: wild boars, stray dogs, or rodents can carry and spread the virus after contact with the carcasses. Rainfall can also carry the virus to other farms through water, creating regional cross-infection chains.

Currently, Vietnam faces the dual challenges of an explosive increase in dead livestock and fragmented geographical distribution. To address this complex situation, Chengzhu Group, leveraging 19 years of expertise and global project experience, combined with Vietnam’s geographical characteristics and epidemic dynamics, has innovatively launched a dual-track harmless treatment application solution: “Mobile Emergency Response + Base Prevention and Control.” This solution provides a comprehensive, integrated solution from equipment to management, effectively reducing the risk of residual viruses in the environment.

Mobile Harmless Treatment Unit

This modular design allows for truck-mounted container deployment, allowing for rapid deployment within 12 hours to access-restricted areas such as the northern mountainous areas and the Red River Delta. With a single unit’s batch processing capacity of 1-7 tons, it is particularly well-suited for small and medium-sized farms experiencing scattered outbreaks.

Fixed Intelligent Processing Production Line

Located in large-scale livestock and poultry production zones, this integrated high-temperature sterilization and biomass conversion system boasts a processing capacity of up to 300 tons per day (higher capacity can be customized as needed). By centralizing treatment within a 100-kilometer radius of satellite-type epidemic areas, it significantly reduces the risk of secondary infection caused by cross-regional transportation.

This combined system achieves two-way coverage: “precisely responding to fragmented epidemic sites while efficiently managing large-scale outbreaks.” This addresses the core pain point of insufficient harmless treatment coverage in Vietnam, while simultaneously avoiding the public health risks associated with traditional incineration and landfill. Furthermore, during the scientifically standardized harmless treatment process, dead livestock and poultry can be converted into a variety of high-value resource products (fertilizers and energy industry raw materials) through high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis and other technologies, achieving a dual balance between environmental safety and economic benefits.

Resource-based Value Products After Harmless Treatment

• Fertilizer Products

Principle of High-Temperature Hydrolysis Organic Fertilizer Production: At 125°C-135°C and 0.5 MPa steam, dead animals are hydrolyzed for 45 minutes. Large molecules like protein and fat are broken down into small amino acids and short-chain fatty acids, which are then mixed with supplementary materials and composted to create granular fertilizer.

Nutrient Content: Organic matter ≥65%, total nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium 8-12% (twice that of ordinary livestock and poultry manure).

Application Scenarios: Tested according to China’s NY525 standard, it contains no pathogenic residues and can be used directly for cash crops like fruits and vegetables, reducing the per-mu cost of replacing chemical fertilizers by 35%.

Amino Acid Liquid Fertilizer

Extraction process: The hydrolyzate is filtered and concentrated using membrane separation technology to produce liquid amino acids (molecular weight ≤ 500Da).

Functional Value: Rich in 18 amino acids and trace elements, this foliar fertilizer can significantly enhance crop resistance (for example, trials in Hainan mango orchards showed a 22% increase in fruit set).

• Energy and Industrial Raw Materials

Biodiesel Feedstock Processing Path: Hydrolyzed animal fat is converted into biodiesel through esterification. 120-150 kg of crude fat can be extracted from each ton of dead pigs (with a conversion rate exceeding 90%).

Market value: The product complies with GB T 20828 standard, has an energy density of 37MJ kg, and is sold at approximately 80% of the price of petrochemical diesel. It has been used as mixed fuel for fishing vessels.

Industrial-Grade Stearic Acid Refining Process: C16-C18 fatty acids are obtained through fractional distillation and purification, with a purity of ≥98%, and can be used as core raw materials for rubber vulcanizers and plastic lubricants.

Chengzhu Group upholds the core values ​​of “Life First, Ecological Sustainability” and leverages internationally leading harmless treatment technologies to build a comprehensive biosafety barrier encompassing “animals, the environment, and humans.”

We are willing to cooperate with the Vietnamese government, animal husbandry associations, and international organizations to jointly build a resilient system that emphasizes both environmental safety and livestock health. Assist the Vietnamese government in resolving the livestock and poultry disaster that has multiple impacts on the environment, breeding, economy, and health as soon as possible, and safeguard the sustainable future of humans and nature. Let us use the power of technology to turn crises into opportunities and rebuild a safe, healthy, and prosperous future for animal husbandry.