Preventing smuggled pork from entering Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tri Cong, Chairman of the Dong Nai Livestock Association, smuggled pigs are no longer being brought to wholesale markets but are instead being distributed to local markets. Currently, smuggled pigs account for approximately 15% of the total pork consumed in the southern provinces.

"Smuggled pigs not only affect the price of domestic livestock farming but also pose a risk of disease spread and food safety and hygiene issues, endangering consumer health. In the future, competition from smuggled pigs will seriously impact the total pig population, leading to a shortage of domestic supply," said Mr. Nguyen Tri Cong.

Meanwhile, at Hoc Mon wholesale market (Hoc Mon district), which supplies about 50% of the fresh pork market share in Ho Chi Minh City, difficulties are also arising from spontaneous businesses selling live pigs along roads No. 3 and No. 12.

According to Mr. Le Van Tien, Director of Hoc Mon Market Management and Business Company, the pork sold at these informal businesses mainly comes from unlicensed, illegal slaughterhouses and some businesses operating without permits.

The food preparation (cutting and selling) is mainly done on the floor or right on the sidewalk, using untreated well water, thus failing to ensure food safety and hygiene for consumers.

According to observations by Lao Dong newspaper, the informal trading of meat is also taking place around the Binh Dien wholesale market (District 8).

Impromptu pork stalls around Binh Dien wholesale market. Photo: Ha May

In response to this situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Department has also intensified inspections and strict controls at the city's gateways, wholesale markets, and other trading areas to prevent and severely punish cases of smuggling and products of unknown origin, especially pork.

In January 2024, the City's Market Management force participated in inter-agency inspection teams of the City, districts/counties, and Thu Duc City, such as inter-agency food safety teams and inter-agency teams for livestock and poultry disease prevention and control, inspecting 89 cases, with 12 violations found.

According to statistics from the Dong Nai Provincial Livestock Association, in the first two weeks of 2024, an average of 6,000-7,000 pigs were smuggled into Vietnam from Cambodia each night.

Calculations by this association show that smuggled pigs account for approximately 30% of the domestic livestock production sold daily. With selling prices at only around 50,000 VND/kg of live pig, this has driven down domestic pig prices, causing heavy losses for farmers.

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