October 24, 2023

Illegal poultry smuggling impacts Vietnam's livestock industry

The illegal smuggling of poultry breeds and products into Vietnam has affected businesses and small livestock farmers, said Nguyen Thanh Son, chairman of the Vietnam Poultry Association, The Star reported.

Speaking at a conference organised by Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development dedicated to preventing the illegal import of cattle and poultry, Son highlighted the challenges that have plagued the livestock industry over the past two years, including a market crisis, the post-COVID-19 period, and geopolitical developments.

Son said illegal imports have further complicated the domestic market. Leading enterprises within the association have incurred significant losses, reaching hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong.

Over the first nine months of 2023, Vietnamese authorities uncovered 131 cases of smuggled live poultry, a drastic increase of 14.5 times when compared to 2022. These discoveries coincide with a period in which domestic poultry farmers are preparing to meet the rising demand for poultry products toward the year-end.

To capitalise on this demand, smugglers have actively promoted the illegal import of poultry breeds into Vietnam, primarily through border gates. The Vietnam Poultry Association noted that the volume of illegally imported live chickens has surged to an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 tonnes annually. Additionally, tens of thousands of tonnes of chicken are smuggled into Vietnam each month.

Illegal poultry and cattle smuggling not only facilitates disease transmission but also leads to unfair competition, explained Son. As Nguyen Xuan Duong, chairman of the Vietnam Livestock Association, pointed out, most diseases in the domestic livestock industry stem from illegally imported poultry and cattle. These illicit activities endanger consumers' health and jeopardise the domestic market, forcing domestic livestock producers to sell their products at reduced prices.

Duong expressed concerns about small farmers and farms, as they may struggle to recover their capital and reinvest in production for the following year. If left unchecked, the illegal imports could potentially lead to disease outbreaks and additional losses within the industry.

-      The Star