Prevent illegal animal transportation, control diseases well, ensure food supply

12/07/2023 16:17

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has just signed and issued Directive No. 29/CT-TTg dated December 6, 2023 on preventing smuggling and illegal transportation of animals and animal products; controlling epidemics, developing sustainable livestock farming, and ensuring food supply.

The Directive stated: In recent times, the Prime Minister has issued many documents directing the prevention of smuggling and illegal transportation of poultry, pigs and animal products from foreign countries into Vietnam; at the same time, strengthening measures to prevent and combat animal diseases. Up to now, the smuggling situation has had many positive changes; animal diseases in general and African swine fever in particular have been basically controlled, contributing significantly to maintaining the growth rate of the livestock industry, ensuring food supply for domestic consumption and boosting exports.

However, the situation of smuggling of animals (poultry, pigs, buffaloes and cows) is still complicated in some localities, causing the risk of disease transmission and food insecurity. In addition, animal diseases, especially African Swine Fever, continue to occur in some localities, greatly affecting livestock development, increasing costs, production costs, economic losses for livestock farmers, causing the risk of food insecurity and reducing supply in the coming time.

The Prime Minister requested to prevent illegal transportation of animals, control diseases well, and ensure food supply.

Stop smuggling and illegal transportation of animals

In order to thoroughly prevent and end the smuggling and illegal transportation of animals and animal products, effectively control animal diseases, reduce costs, lower livestock prices, improve economic efficiency in livestock farming and ensure product supply in the last months of 2023 and early 2024, especially during the 2024 Lunar New Year, the Prime Minister requested the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities to direct the Border Guard, Customs, Police, and local Steering Committee 389 to strengthen inspection, supervision, and control, especially at border gates, trails, openings in border areas, seaports, rivers, etc. to promptly prevent, detect and strictly handle cases of illegal trafficking and transportation of animals and animal products across the border into Vietnam.

Direct and deploy forces to closely inspect and supervise facilities for collecting and slaughtering livestock and poultry, especially in border areas; strengthen inspection and traceability of the transportation of animals and animal products for consumption in the area; promptly detect and strictly handle violations of the law.

Apply livestock farming measures towards concentrated goods and disease safety

The People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall organize propaganda for the people, especially those in border areas, about the harmful effects of smuggling, the risk of dangerous infectious diseases, and food insecurity due to illegal transportation and smuggling of animals and animal products from foreign countries into Vietnam; guide livestock breeders to increase the application of livestock farming measures in the direction of concentrating goods, biosafety, and disease safety to reduce production costs and improve economic efficiency in livestock farming.

Focus on directing and prioritizing the allocation of resources to organize drastic, synchronous and effective implementation of measures to prevent and control animal diseases, especially African Swine Fever, in accordance with the provisions of the law on veterinary medicine, the direction of the Secretariat, the National Assembly, the Government, the Prime Minister (in the National Programs and Plans approved by the Prime Minister; the issued Official Dispatches and Directives) and the guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including promoting the vaccination against African Swine Fever in pork herds.

Set up checkpoints and control teams

The Prime Minister requested that based on the specific situation in the locality, the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and cities proactively direct the Market Management force and relevant units to coordinate with the Veterinary, Police, and Traffic Inspectorate forces to set up checkpoints and mobile control teams to detect and strictly handle cases of illegal trading and transportation of animals and animal products of unknown origin and not yet quarantined.

People's Committees of provinces and cities urgently complete and strengthen the capacity of the veterinary system at all levels in accordance with the provisions of the 2015 Law on Veterinary Medicine, the direction of the Politburo, the Secretariat, the National Assembly, the Government and the Prime Minister (Decision No. 414/QD-TTg dated March 22, 2021 and Decision No. 889/QD-TTg dated July 25, 2023) to ensure resources to effectively implement tasks of preventing and controlling animal diseases, preventing smuggling and illegal transportation of animals and animal products.

Directing competent authorities and People's Committees at all levels to establish inspection teams, accurately assess the current situation to proactively direct appropriate measures, organize timely and effective prevention and strict handling of violations in the trade and transportation of animals and animal products, as well as in the prevention and control of animal diseases, especially African Swine Fever and vaccination.

Ensuring food supply before, during and after Tet

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development closely monitors the situation, proactively directs and implements measures to ensure food supply before, during and after the 2024 Lunar New Year.

Direct veterinary agencies to strengthen quarantine work on import and transportation of animals and animal products domestically according to legal regulations, and strictly handle violations.

Thoroughly handle outbreaks

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with localities and relevant ministries and branches to promptly detect and strictly handle cases of illegal trading and transportation of animals and animal products across the border into Vietnam.

Focus on directing, organizing, guiding, urging and inspecting the prevention and control of animal diseases, especially African Swine Fever; proactively and closely monitor the disease situation; early detection, warning and directing the thorough handling of outbreaks, preventing the disease from spreading widely; directing and guiding localities and enterprises to focus on successfully building disease-free areas and facilities to serve exports.

Market control and monitoring

The Ministry of Industry and Trade directs the Market Management force and relevant units to coordinate with the Veterinary force, the Police, and the Traffic Inspectorate to handle cases of illegal trading and transportation of animals and animal products of unknown origin and not yet quarantined on the market; have solutions to control, reduce intermediary costs, and increase economic benefits for breeders.

Strengthen market inspection and control, prevent speculation, hoarding, trade fraud, market manipulation, and unreasonable price increases that cause damage to consumers and affect domestic livestock development.

The Ministry of Information and Communications directs news agencies, newspapers and grassroots radio systems to organize communication work on the harmful effects of smuggling, the risk of dangerous infectious diseases, and food insecurity due to illegal import and transportation of animals and animal products from foreign countries into Vietnam; measures to prevent and control animal diseases; develop biosafety and disease-safe livestock farming, and promote the consumption of domestically produced animal products, especially pork products.

Relevant ministries and branches, according to their assigned functions and tasks, proactively direct specialized functional agencies to coordinate in implementing measures to prevent and stop the smuggling and illegal transportation of animals and animal products, while at the same time effectively controlling animal diseases, reducing livestock farming costs, and promoting the consumption of domestically produced animal products.

According to chinhphu.vn

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