Around 95% chicken illegally imported , much of which comes from China, has been found to contain levels of antibiotics that could be harmful to health.
Chicken sold at Hom-An Vien Market in Hanoi on December 31, 2012
This was disclosed during an online forum held on December 31, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan for a one-month review of the implementation of a programme to control the illegal importation of low-quality chicken, under the prime minister’s Decision 2088.
Although the actual transport of this low-grade chicken has decreased, the ways of those who wish to subvert laws have become more sophisticated, said the Ministry of Public Security.
One major point of entry for chicken is in the area of Lang Son Province, where it is divided into smaller batches and transported on trucks. It is then distributed to localities such as Hanoi, Vinh Phuc and Ha Nam for sales. The price of this kind of chicken is normally just one eighth of domestically-grown poultry.
According to recent tests done by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on illegally-imported chicken sold in Hanoi, Quang Ninh and Lang Son, 20% of sampled fertilised eggs meant for raising domestically, and 58% of chicken meant for consumption tested positive for the H5N1 virus. In addition, 19 out of 20 samples tested were found to contain residues of sulphadiazine.
Drastic measures needed
An official from Bac Giang Province said that it is not easy to differentiate low-quality poultry by the naked eye. He also complained of difficulties in seizing samples for testing.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, affirmed that there was sufficient domestic supply to meet demand in Vietnam, adding that the average price of a chicken is VND10,000.
MARD has issued instructions that all illegally-imported or substandard chicken be destroyed.
Deputy Minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, said more efforts should be taken to control the illegal importation of chicken in 2013, adding that domestic supply was sufficient.
To date, police have uncovered 26 Chinese chicken-smuggling rings, operating in 18 northern cities and provinces.
Authorities have been requested to inform the government of results of control measures for illegally-imported chicken before February 8.
