TRAVEL REPORT: Mr Kit Parke, 24 March 2010 A blueprint for sustainable small holder pig production in Central Vietnam AUSAIDCARD Project (424 7155 01 004/05VIE) LOCATION: Central Vietnam– Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri TIME: 12th January 2010 to 11 th February 2010 Project checklist (taken from Questionnaire for monthly farm audit) • Plus (+) = satisfactory (e.g. good ventilation) or in use (e.g. creep boxes) • Minus (-) = not satisfactory (e.g. poor ventilation) or not in use (e.g. creep boxes) • Project farm = a farm visited in 2009 and 2010 • Control farm = a farm not visited in 2009 • Tarni advised me that control farms were selected at the beginning of the project but were not active until another farm dropped out of the project Parameter Project farms Control farms Comment Ventilation +/- - Roofing material + + Ridge vents +/- - Dry floors - - Wet weather Temperature (especially piglets) - - Wet weather, cool Farrowing crates + Not in use 1 exotic breed farm Creep boxes +/- - Group housing +/- +/- Sows chewing creep boxes Hygiene (floors) + +/- Sow breed Mong cai + + Grower breed F1 + + Exotic + - 1 farm Hue Bedding: Farrowed sows Other pigs +/- - +/- - Heating with light bulbs +/- - Ineffective Dataloggers - - Effluent disposal: Sweeping, hosing Disinfection + - + - Health: Piglets Growers Breeders +/- + + +/- + + Overall very good Body condition score: Piglets Growers +/- + +/- + Overall very good Breeders +/- +/- Comments • Project farms visited in both 2009 and 2010 had made very good progress and appeared to be producing good quality pigs. • There were some new control farms due to the production of the DVD. • Exotic breed (large white) farm in Hue that was treated with Dectomax had no clinical signs of Sarcoptic mange infestation (the farm owner was very happy with Dr Darren). • The level of rubbing and sarcoptic mange lesions in breeder pigs appeared to be much less than in early 2009 • The main reason given for the decreased use of creep boxes was that some sows were chewing them. This behaviour was believed to be due to a nutritional deficiency in the sows (not substantiated). Sows are more likely to try and break the creep box to use as nesting material. The use of creep boxes was much better in Quang Tri than Hue. • There is still some confusion as to the use of ordinary light bulbs as a heat source for piglets and lactating sows. • Many farms had wet floors in the pens which might have been due to farmers cleaning them before our visit. The weather was mostly wet (drizzle) and cool which meant pens would take longer to dry. • I was not aware of any monthly farm audits being conducted during my time in Vietnam. E. coli vaccination project Thuy Duong commune: Farm Vaccination status Age of piglets (days) Diarrhoea Samples collected Comment 1 N 28 Y Y Wet pen, no creep box 2 Y 28 Y Y Wet pen, no creep box 3 N 7 N Y Wet pen, no creep box 4 (CARD Farm) N 28 Y Y No creep box 5 Y 21 Y Y No creep box Thuy Phuong commune: Farm Vaccination status Age of piglets (days) Diarrhoea Samples collected Comment 1 Y 9 Y Y 2 Y 15 Y Y Piglets treated with Kitasymycin and sulphadimidine 3 N 10 Y (at 6 d.o) Y Wet pen, no creep box 4 N 2 Y Y Pen dry, some straw, no creep box 5 (CARD farm) N 10 Y Y No creep box or straw 6 N 4 Y (at 2 d.o.) Piglets appeared healthy Y Straw, no creep box 7 Y 10 Y Y Straw, no creep box Comments; • I could not understand why CARD project farms were not used in this vaccination project. However, it might have been due to the commune paraveterinarian selecting these farms for the trial and that these farms had sows at the correct stage of pregnancy when vaccination was carried out. Although CARD project farms would also have had sows in late pregnancy. • The other main issue was that faecal sampling of piglets was undertaken at the wrong time (age of piglet). Laboratory equipment (HUAF) • This lab was going to be used for testing faeces for E.coli vaccine trial • Blood bank refrigerator • Biomedical freezer • ‘Binder’ – 4 cabinets (incubators?) • 3 x Microscopes, Olympus, TH4-200 • Purifier class II biosafety cabinet • Stuart block heater • Hermile 2 223 M-2 • Hirayama centrifuge • MEMMERT? • NIVR staff brought blood agar plates, pipettes, gloves, glass slides and coverslips, sterile swabs (no transport media) . TRAVEL REPORT: Mr Kit Parke, 24 March 2010 A blueprint for sustainable small holder pig production in Central Vietnam AUSAIDCARD Project (424 7155 01 004/05VIE) LOCATION: Central Vietnam . pregnancy when vaccination was carried out. Although CARD project farms would also have had sows in late pregnancy. • The other main issue was that faecal sampling of piglets was undertaken at the wrong. (large white) farm in Hue that was treated with Dectomax had no clinical signs of Sarcoptic mange infestation (the farm owner was very happy with Dr Darren). • The level of rubbing and sarcoptic