Promoting agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and the United Kingdom

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan met and worked with Gareth Ward, the United Kingdom's Ambassador to Vietnam, on December 8. They exchanged useful information on fishing, forestry, husbandry, and animal health trade.

According to Minister Le Minh Hoan, the two nations' agricultural goods are complementary rather than competing, allowing customers in both countries to enjoy the specialties of both cultures.

Minister Le Minh Hoan stressed that when it comes to animal quarantine between the two nations, Vietnam constantly strives to establish the most advantageous circumstances for trade to benefit both countries' farmers. As a result, the Minister recommended that the UK continue to assist equipment and capacity development for specialist animal quarantine to simplify quarantine operations in the future.

Discussing the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the Vietnamese minister stated that fishing is a traditional craft for the Vietnamese people due to the advantages provided by the country's 3,000-kilometer-long coast. The European Commission's (EC) decision to apply a yellow card has had a severe impact on the Vietnamese fishermen's industry and revenue.

As a result, the leaders of the Vietnamese Party, State, and Government have been working to perfect the institutions necessary to transform the traditional and spontaneous mining sector into an organized one by closely adhering to environmental and ocean preservation pledges and rules.

The installation of monitoring devices to monitor fishing boats to ensure they do not violate foreign seas and to trace the origin of harvested seafood is proceeding according to the path established by Vietnam.

"These measures not only allow the EC to remove Vietnam's yellow card, but we also see it as a duty to conserve biodiversity and aquatic resources for future generations, as well as a responsibility to the community and international community," added the Minister.

Additionally, the head of Vietnam's agriculture sector rated the UK as a global leader in research and technology in agricultural disciplines such as fisheries, forestry, and animal husbandry.

As such, the Minister expressed his wish that the Ambassador continue to promote exchanges and collaborations between UK institutes and universities and Vietnamese institutes and schools to transfer, access, and apply cutting-edge science and technology in those fields. 

Concurring with Minister Le Minh Hoan's remarks, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward stated his delight that despite the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak, Vietnam and the UK continue to work closely together to grow the economy in general and the agriculture sector in particular.

"I recall a favorable impression from my visits to Vietnam's national forests. Vietnam's woods offer enormous potential for ecotourism development, which would help the local population," Mr. Gareth Ward said.

The Ambassador also confirmed that the UK would continue to sponsor training to assist Vietnam in improving wood traceability and creating livelihoods for local farmers beneath the forest canopy in the foreseeable future.

Mr. Gareth Ward believes that Vietnam and the UK will continue to collaborate, trade, and share knowledge and experiences in the area of animal husbandry and veterinary care to avoid the spread of domestic animal illnesses.