In recent weeks, the STOP Spillover Viet Nam country team has been busy piloting a biosecurity and biosafety certification program, following the delivery of training workshops for veterinarians, agricultural officers, forest rangers, Community Animal Health Workers, and wildlife farmers in Dong Nai province. The goal of the certification program, which is supported by local stakeholders, is to set provincial-level standards for the use of personal protective equipment (such as gloves and dedicated shoes and clothing), waste treatment, preventive wildlife health care, and product inspection.
Legal wildlife farming in Viet Nam is an important livelihood activity. Farming of some species, including civets, sambar deer, porcupines, and bamboo rats, poses risk for interspecies transmission of zoonotic disease. While wildlife farmers typically learn the industry in the community, insufficient veterinary presence on farms has hampered the prevention and treatment of diseases among wildlife. STOP Spillover has supported the drafting of criteria for biosecurity and biosafety practices. When farms meet the biosecurity and biosafety standards, they will be awarded certification by the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).
After successfully creating accessible training workshops for workers in the wildlife farming sector, the STOP Spillover Viet Nam Country Team sought input from DARD, the Department of Forestry, and veterinarians in developing the program criteria, taking inspiration from the existing, successful Vietnamese swine and cattle farm certification system, Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP).
The wildlife farming criteria cover six key areas, including 1) Books, Reports, and Participation in Network Activities, 2) Barn Conditions, 3) Food and Drink, 4) Care and Nurturing, (5) Biosafety and Veterinary Hygiene, and (6) Waste Treatment and Environmental Protection. These areas include 23 mandatory criteria that must be met to achieve certification, and 7 optional criteria that represent exceptional achievement.
To ensure that the pilot program is successful, One Health Design, Research, and Mentorship Working Group members review progress and successes every two weeks and provide onsite technical support to address any challenges identified. Changes will be made to the program based on its performance. If the program is successful, six farms in Dong Nai will be certified as biosecure and biosafe. Once the pilot is finished, the program will be monitored and evaluated to ensure that the highest safety standards are implemented before transitioning it to local authorities and communities for maintenance and extension.
