HANOI, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's central Ha Tinh province has been stricken by foot-and-mouth disease, local newspaper New Hanoi reported Monday.

    The disease affected six bulls in the province from March 16-19, the paper quoted the Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as saying.

    The provincial Veterinary Bureau has culled all infected cattle and detoxified the affected farms.

    Under a national agriculture development plan approved by the government in 2005, Vietnam will, by 2010, have 35-40 million pigs, some 6.7 million bulls and cows and 2.8-3 million buffaloes.