The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has issued a new regulation calling for stricter meat import inspections to end Vietnam’s ongoing “dirty meat” saga that began in 2008.
The new MARD decree on required food hygiene, which will take effect July 1, requires exporter countries to register their domestic businesses that can meet hygiene demands with Vietnamese agencies.
The regulation stipulates that only these enterprises will be able to export meat into Vietnam. Certificates of safety must be enclosed with import consignments, according to the new rule.
MARD said that in the first five months of 2010, frozen meat imports (poultry and meats) increased three-fold over the last months of 2009. Pork imports alone have reached 500,000 tons, consisting mainly of heads, feet and tails.
However, this year’s outbreaks of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus, also called “Blue Ear,” has stalled containers of frozen chicken and pigs at ports in the northern city of Hai Phong, the border town of Mong Cai in the north and Ho Chi Minh City. Containers of frozen chickens and pigs are also stuck at Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong City.
But many businesses have been trying to avoid the stricter inspections by importing large shipments before the regulation takes effect, the department said.
However, MARD also said that all newly imported containers would be placed under scrutiny and that importers would be ordered to re-export food if shipments are found to have skirted hygiene requirements. Warnings would also be sent to exporting countries.
Companies found to have intentionally breached regulations would be shut down, the department said.
At the same time household farmers and food processing firms said they were concerned over the massive meat imports that they say will put pressure on domestic breeding.
Since 2008, tens of tons of unsafe meat have been imported into Vietnam in what the press has deemed “the dirty meat saga"
