Nearly 2, 800 tons of meat imported from Brazil to Vietnam

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• imported from Brazil

According to the latest preliminary statistics of the Customs IT and Statistics Department (General Department of Customs), from the beginning of the year to the end of March 15, 2017, Vietnam imported 2,780 tons of meat originated from Brazil, with a value of more than $US 4 million, of which most was chicken.

Chicken meat is the largest imported meat of Vietnam from Brazil.

Specifically, meat imported from Brazil to Vietnam from the beginning of the year to March 15, 2017 was mainly: Meat and other by-products of the Gallus domesticus chicken with a total weight of 1,540 tons, worth more than $US 1. 5 million; Followed by Gallus domesticus wing meats of 770 tons, worth more than $US 1.4 million; Other meat and meat by-products of 470 tons, worth more than $US 1 million.

Also according to preliminary data released by the General Department of Customs from the beginning of the year to March 15, 2017, the country imported $US 65 million of meat and by-products of meat after slaughter. Of which, the USA was the largest providing market for meat and by-products of meat after slaughter for Vietnam with a total import value of more than $US 20 million, accounting for 31.7% of the turnover; followed by Indian market with $ US15 million; accounting for 23.4%; and Australia ranked third with more than $US 8 million, accounting for 13.4%, and Brazil ranked fourth with a proportion of 6.2%.

Regarding the problem of contaminated beef in Brazil, talking with a reporter of the Customs Newspaper on March 22, 2017, a Representative of Department of Animal Health said that from the beginning of 2017 to now, Vietnam has imported about 3,000 tons of meat and meat products from Brazil. Thus, the amount of meat imported from Brazil of Vietnam is very small compared to the total nearly 6 million tons of meat from Brazil exported annually to countries around the world.

According to the Department of Animal Health, meat and meat products from Brazil imported into Vietnam must comply with the provisions of Circular No. 25/2010 / TT-BNNPTNT dated April 4, 2010 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development guiding food hygiene and safety inspection of imports of animal origin. Accordingly, Brazilian meat factories must be evaluated, inspected and assessed by Vietnamese competent authorities for each slaughtering and processing facility. And if those facilities meet the requirements, they must be allowed to export meat to Vietnam.

In particular, all meat shipments imported from Brazil to Vietnam are stored in the import port area, then the border veterinary agencies will strictly control, sampling to test each shipment, If the testing results are eligible for food safety, those shipments will be allowed to be imported.

Right after receiving information on the discovery of a number of Brazilian meat factories using substances that threatened food safety, the Department of Animal Health held an emergency meeting to direct the border veterinary agencies to further strengthen the control of cattle and poultry meat imported from Brazil.
 

At the same time, the Department of Animal Health issued Official Dispatch No. 485/TY-KD to direct relevant units, especially the border veterinary agencies to strictly control cattle and poultry meat imported from Brazil to Vietnam.

By Thai Binh/ Huyen Trang - Customnews