October 24, 2023

Vietnam sees 131 cases of illegal meat imports in first nine months of 2023

Vietnam has reported a rise in illegal meat imports with 131 cases detected in the first nine months of this year, up 14.50% on-year.

Statistics from the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development released during an October 17 online meeting showed that 160,000 live cattle and poultry, nearly 44,000 chicken and duck eggs, and over 116,000 kilos of fresh meat were seized as they were illegally brought into Vietnam in the period.

According to the Vietnam Poultry Association, 200,000-250,000 tonnes of fresh chicken were illegally imported into Vietnam every year through border paths.

"Smugglers have used different means to avoid being caught by local authorities," said Luong Trong Quynh, vice chairman of the People's Committee of the northern border province of Lang Son. "They're operating more at night through small mountainous paths."

Speaking at the meeting, vice head of the Department of Animal Health, Phan Quang Minh, said that the rise in illegal import of live animals and meat products posed the risk of disease spreading in Vietnam.

"As local farmers have high demand for breeding chickens at the end of the year, smugglers transport large numbers from China, posing a high risk of disease transmission," Minh said.

Minh urged local authorities to take stricter measures to prevent such illegal imports. He also called on localities nationwide to update the number of cattle and poultry in their area for better management.

- Dtinews