Cold comfort for breeders
While much international media attention has been devoted to this winter’s cold spell in China, Vietnam, which has endured similar conditions in recent months, has been largely overlooked. However, according to local media reports, the country’s government has stepped in to assist cattle breeders who have suffered huge losses to their herds as a result of the bad weather.
Some 55,000 cattle, mainly calves and young buffalo, are believed to have already perished in the cold spell, equating to losses of an estimated VND180 billion ($11.2 million), and further deaths are expected due to a lack of feedstock.
As a result the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the government to compensate farmers with VND1 million for each dead adult cattle and VND500,000 for each lost calf.
