March 19, 2024

Associations in Vietnam urge stronger regulations to control meat imports

Several associations in Vietnam have sent a joint letter to the Vietnamese government and National Assembly, calling for support to tighten meat import regulations as they are facing threats from the huge imports of low-quality meat products.

In their group letter sent to the prime minister and the National Assembly Chairman, the Vietnam Animal Husbandry Association, the Vietnam Animal Feed Association, the Vietnam Poultry Association and the Vietnam Large Cattle Breeding Association asked for a solution to properly control the imports of meat products.

"We're having to follow strict conditions to export our products while the country's lax import regulations have created conditions for the rampant imports of low-quality products," the letter said. "Last year, Vietnam only earned US$515,000 from meat exports but spent US$3.53 billion on meat imports. In addition, a large number of live animals and related products were illegally imported into the country, affecting the sale of local products and posing the threat of disease transmission."

According to the associations, several imported products are near expiry dates and sold at half the prices of locally-made products, leading to unfair competition with local products.

"Vietnam may see a big trade deficit in meat products in the next three to five years," the association warned.

Vietnam's livestock industry set a production growth target of 4-5% in 2024 and is expected to make up 28-30% of the country's agricultural production.

The country's meat production is expected to reach about 7.98 million tonnes this year including over 4.87 million tonnes of pork and over 2.31 million tonnes of poultry meat.

- Dtinews