March 20, 2006

 

Vietnam toughens crackdown on poultry smuggled from China

 

 

Vietnam has intensified a crackdown on poultry smuggled from China to help prevent bird flu outbreaks, officials said Friday (March 17).

 

Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat sent a telegram on Thursday ordering all border provinces and relevant ministries to work harder to keep Chinese birds from illegally entering the country.

 

"Due to the differences in prices of poultry between Vietnam and neighbouring countries, many organisations and individuals have smuggled poultry and poultry products ... into Vietnam," Phat said in the telegram. "The risk of a bird flu reemergence in Vietnam is very high."

 

He also ordered checkpoints to be set up on major roads to help keep poultry that makes it across the border from getting deeper into the country.

 

"The smuggling of poultry is very serious," said Hoang Van Nam, deputy director of the Department of Animal Health. "Most of the smuggled poultry were from China, where outbreaks were reported."

 

Authorities in Vietnam's northern Lang Son province--bordering China's province of Guangxi--have confiscated and destroyed nearly nine tonnes of chickens smuggled from China over the past week, said Do Van Duoc, director of Lang Son's provincial bureau of animal health.

 

Duoc said the price of chicken in Vietnam is twice as high as in China.

 

"We have many paths along our 253-kilometre (157-mile) land border," Duoc said "It's impossible to control the situation."

 

No bird flu outbreaks among poultry have been reported in Vietnam in the last three months and no human infections have been detected since last November. However, officials have said the risk of flare-ups remains high.

 

Bird flu has killed or forced the slaughter of more than 140 million birds in Asia since late 2003.