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More than 1.5 million poultry were swept away during the prolonged flooding that began in mid-November, leaving the livestock sector in Dak Lak, Vietnam facing a sharp decline in flock numbers and heightened risks of post-disaster disease outbreaks.
According to the Dak Lak Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, this is the most severe poultry loss recorded in many years, far exceeding previous flood events.
Beyond the drastic loss in flock size, prolonged flooding submerged large farming areas, damaging barns, spoiling feed, and disrupting waste-treatment systems.
Poultry carcasses swept into low-lying areas have also raised major concerns about environmental contamination and public health risks.
Immediately after the water receded, veterinary forces coordinated with local authorities to inspect damage, collect, and properly dispose of poultry carcasses according to technical protocols.
Mobile response teams, including units from the Mobile Police Command, were deployed to assist heavily affected areas, ensuring that animal remains were not left to contaminate water sources.
Veterinary authorities warn of potential outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza, duck viral enteritis, and various gastrointestinal diseases in poultry due to damp and polluted post-flood conditions.
Farmers have been urged not to rush into restocking and instead thoroughly clean and disinfect their barns with lime powder and disinfectants, keeping facilities dry for several days before introducing new flocks.
Alongside disinfection efforts, veterinary stations have been instructed to strengthen surveillance and collect samples from high-risk areas.
Early detection of pathogens is considered essential to prevent large-scale outbreaks as farmers begin rebuilding production.
To proactively prevent disease after the floods, the Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services has stockpiled more than 13,000 liters of disinfectant, ready for distribution to districts as needed.
The agency has also requested the Ministry of Agriculture to provide an additional 10,000 liters of disinfectant, disease-free poultry breeds, and essential supplies to support the restocking process.
Authorities note that although poultry populations generally recover faster than large livestock, the heightened risk of post-flood diseases requires restocking to be done with caution.
Several localities are surveying farmers’ demand for breeding stock to develop appropriate support plans.
In addition to the massive losses in poultry, the floods also swept away around 55,000 livestock, putting further pressure on environmental cleanup and disease-prevention efforts across the province.
Despite this, poultry remains the hardest-hit group, disrupting the local food supply chain and directly affecting the livelihoods of thousands of farming households.
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