Vietnam halts pig imports from Thailand
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam decided to temporarily suspend the import of live pigs from Thailand from June 30, 2021, as the Department of Animal Health of Vietnam discovered a shipment of 980 pigs infected with African Swine Fever (ASF).
For batches of live pigs that have been signed by enterprises of the two countries and will be transported to Vietnam by June 29, the Ministry allowed imports into Vietnam and directed the veterinary agency to strictly control them to ensure food hygiene and safety.
The Ministry has assigned the Department of Animal Health to coordinate with the competent authority of Thailand to assess the epidemic situation in Thailand and consider allowing the import of Thai pigs when the conditions for disease safety are ensured, announced VietnamNet agency.
Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development allowed the import of live pigs from Thailand to Vietnam for raising and slaughtering for food from June 12, 2020, in order to balance supply and demand of pork in the local market.
In 2020, Vietnam imported 447,600 live pigs, equivalent to 44,800 tons of meat, and 34,600 breed pigs from Thailand. The neighboring country is the main supplier of live pigs in the Vietnamese market, although some exports have occurred via Cambodia.
Vietnam is fighting an ongoing ASF outbreak since February 2019 and the need for imports has increased steadily in the last two years. In 2020, the country imported over 225,000 tonnes of pork, up 260% compared to 2019. Imports in the first quarter of 2021 reached 34,600 tonnes of pork (+101%). Russia, Poland, Brazil, Canada, the US, Germany, and Spain are acting like main suppliers in the Vietnamese market.
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