The Ministry of Health rejected the information that it did not tighten control over banned lean-meat agents such as salbutamol, chlenbutarol and ractobamine that stimulate growth and quickly develop lean meat in cattle.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in a conference on banned chemicals several days ago said that the Health Ministry had allowed 68 ton of clenbuterol to be imported into Vietnam and the number exceeded the demand.
Accordingly, imported enterprises may sell the substance to the market enabling dishonest breeders to use the substance in feeding livestock and poultry for big profits.
Moreover, MARD blamed the Ministry of Health for neglected management of prohibited substances in livestock breeding leading to increase rampant use of the dangerous substances.
Yet Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the Vietnam Food Administration – a part of the Ministry of Health – said that MARD’s information was not correct. Mr. Phong said that from early 2015, VFA just allowed importing 3.5 tons of salbutamol and only companies registering to use the substance got permission, and only those pharmacy factories that meet GMP standard may produce the salbutamol related drug.
Meantime, the health ministry has not allowed importing clenbuterol for recent years; hence, the banned substances in breeding animal must be smuggled, he said.
A representative from the Health Minister said that salbutamol is one of important medications of the sector; the import of the drug must be based on real demand. Additionally, sabutamol is listed as poison in group B ; accordingly, it is strictly controlled by government regulations; subsequently, salbutamol in the market is smuggled into the country.
To curb the provision of banned substances to animal breeders, MARD should increase supervision over pesticide stores and animal feed shops.
