Live chickens, pork, and beef are being smuggled into Vietnam in massive quantities.

In the first nine months of the year, authorities detected 131 cases of smuggling animal products and live chickens into Vietnam, a 14.5-fold increase compared to 2022.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at an online forum on combating livestock and poultry smuggling on the afternoon of October 17th, with a rapid increase in smuggling cases, authorities seized nearly 160,000 animals, nearly 44,000 poultry eggs, and over 116,000 kg of animal products in the first nine months of the year.

According to estimates by the Vietnam Poultry Association (VIPA), the amount of live chickens smuggled across the border reaches 200,000-250,000 tons per year. Every month, tens of thousands of tons of discarded chickens are smuggled into the country.

In Quang Ninh province, on October 1st, the Tra Co Border Guard Station discovered a Chinese national transporting nearly 18,000 chicks across the sea in Tra Co ward, Mong Cai city, with the intention of bringing them further into Vietnam for consumption.

In Lang Son , Mr. Luong Trong Quynh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said that in the past period, many shipments of smuggled goods into Vietnam have been penalized; administrative fines totaling over 214 million VND have been imposed; and tons of chickens and ducks of unknown origin have been confiscated and destroyed.

Mr. Quynh assessed that smuggling activities are increasing with increasingly sophisticated methods. They take advantage of the cover of darkness and shift changes of border enforcement forces to carry small quantities of goods across border fences to villages and hamlets in border communes, then transport them by motorbike along provincial roads and National Highway 1A to inland provinces for consumption. Some reckless individuals even ram their vehicles into law enforcement officers on duty.

Mr. Phan Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, at the forum on the afternoon of October 17th. Photo: *Hong Tham*

Concurring with this view, Mr. Phan Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Health, stated that smuggling activities are alarming. Smuggled animal products are brought across border areas between Vietnam and Laos and Cambodia, increasing the risk of infection and spread of dangerous diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, leading to serious impacts on the domestic livestock industry, disease prevention and control efforts, and public health.

To address the situation, Mr. Phan Quang Minh proposed that the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, Customs, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade strengthen inspections and monitor the activities of ringleaders and smuggling networks; and strictly handle illegal trading and transportation. Regarding local authorities, Mr. Minh suggested compiling statistics on livestock and poultry populations to promptly detect any fluctuations; and coordinating with local veterinary agencies to trace the origin of animals for transportation quarantine purposes.

Thi Ha

Source link