Prevent and stop the extermination of earthworms

Foreign-origin electric generators are now widely sold on websites, and in some localities, many manual drying kilns have also been opened to dry earthworms according to orders from foreign traders; the price of dried earthworms is advertised by the source from 1-1.2 million VND/kg, the most expensive is up to 1.5 million VND/kg.

In some provinces and fruit growing areas, after people used electricity to catch earthworms, the plants suffered from damaged roots, yellow leaves and death, and reduced productivity. However, the authorities have encountered many difficulties in preventing this situation. The reason is that there are no sanctions (earthworms are not rare animals, and related legal regulations such as the Law on Cultivation and the Law on Land do not have specific regulations on the act of exterminating earthworms and destroying the agricultural environment).

In some countries, earthworms are commonly used as traditional Chinese medicine, fishing bait, and protein-enhancing ingredients mixed into animal feed. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has strictly prohibited the act of electric stimulation of earthworms for sale, and has carried out "rectification of fields, forests, lakes, grasslands, and nature reserves". The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources has specific regulations on the number of earthworms in cultivated areas, considering this as one of the indicators for assessing the quality of soil resources; affirming that the buying and selling of earthworms through electric stimulation is illegal.

Currently, China is stepping up the seizure and punishment of electric shock users, preventing the illegal import of earthworms, leading to a situation where foreign traders order dried earthworms from Vietnam through unofficial channels, negatively affecting biosafety in some localities.

The above earthworm purchasing activity is similar to the previous practice of foreign traders purchasing some "unique, strange" items that negatively impact the environment such as leeches, golden apple snails, or purchasing some plants and seeds that are destructive such as horse ear roots, bay tree, sim tree, dog blood tree, betel nut root, snow velvet, honeysuckle, myrtle tree; buffalo tail... causing people to massively dig up roots and cut them down, seriously affecting the ecosystem.

The phenomenon of using electric shock devices to catch earthworms and sell them to foreign traders, if not prevented in time, will reduce the quality of cultivated land, destroy biodiversity and soil fertility, negatively affect the growth and development of crops, and is also a dangerous activity, causing risks of accidents and threatening the lives of humans and animals. Up to now, the specific purpose of purchasing earthworms by foreign traders has not been determined to assess the impact related to economic security.

To prevent and stop the situation of people exterminating earthworms in the province, the Provincial People's Committee directed departments, branches, sectors and People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to strengthen information and propaganda work on the role and benefits of earthworms for the soil environment, plant life and ensuring biodiversity; on the harmful effects and consequences of exterminating earthworms in nature so that people are aware, voluntarily comply and strictly follow the provisions of the law.

Instruct people on safe and environmentally friendly agricultural production; use organic fertilizers and biological pesticides to create a favorable environment for earthworms to grow and develop, decompose organic matter, and contribute to improving and increasing soil fertility.

Regularly inspect and control the area, mobilize people to fight and prevent acts of destroying earthworms. Authorities strengthen inspection, detect and strictly handle cases of catching earthworms by electric shock, chemicals and purchase and process them according to regulations.

In addition, the Provincial People's Committee directed the relevant agencies to strengthen inspection of the activities of agents trading in electric shock equipment for catching earthworms; facilities collecting and trading in natural earthworms to identify and clarify the violations of each facility and apply current legal regulations on the origin of goods, regulations on food safety, product quality, and environmental regulations to strictly handle these cases.

Earthworms play a very important role in the ecosystem in the soil, worms help make the soil loose and fertile, making the roots of plants develop better, helping plants grow well and achieve higher yields. Therefore, people need to raise awareness about this issue, avoid unfortunate incidents; should not, for short-term benefits, cause negative impacts on agricultural production as well as personal safety.

Nhi Tran

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