Set up a special operation to investigate the smuggling line of buffaloes and cows into Vietnam

The Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that, according to local people, the phenomenon of illegal trading and transportation of cattle and buffaloes across the Southwest border into Vietnam is quite common and complicated, especially the border with Cambodia in Long An province, thereby increasing the risk of infection and spread of dangerous diseases such as foot-and-mouth, lumpy skin, etc.

Smuggled cattle and buffaloes of unknown origin may be fed products banned from animal husbandry, which do not meet the veterinary hygiene and food safety requirements and pose a risk of seriously affecting the domestic livestock industry farming and people's health.

Accordingly, to immediately end the above situation, on March 22, the Department of Animal Health developed and advised the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue a document to the provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, and Long An. It is recommended that local leaders focus on directing departments, agencies, and authorities at all levels to focus resources on preventing, controlling, and strictly handling violations so that no trafficking occurs, illegally transporting buffaloes and cows into Vietnam.

Specifically, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed provinces thoroughly understand, guide, and propagate local people and businesses to control the import of buffaloes and cows under the Law on Veterinary Medicine and implementation documents of the Law and the direction of the Prime Minister (in the Decision No. 1632/QD-TTg dated October 22, 2020, on the approval of the "National program for foot-and-mouth disease prevention and control, period 2021-2025"; Decision No. 1814/QD-TTg dated October 28, 2021, on the approval of "National plan for prevention and control of Eczema on buffaloes and cows, period 2022-2030"); directive documents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; do not assist in the transportation, trade or legalization of the origin of smuggled buffaloes and cows.

Simultaneously, the provinces need to direct the commune and district authorities to organize statistics and control the local cattle and buffalo herds, especially in the localities sharing the border with Cambodia, to promptly detect the fluctuation, increasing the number of mutations due to collaboration and legalization of the origin of buffaloes and cows being transported or smuggled; legalize, forge, and contravene regulations on quarantine papers for import, quarantine for transportation out of the province.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed localities assign local authorities and functional forces to urgently set up special projects, investigate, fight, and strictly handle organizations and individuals trading and transporting illegal buffaloes and cows to enter Vietnam.

It is also necessary to direct the local functional forces, especially the Border Guard force, to strengthen inspection and control work, especially at border gates, trails, and openings in the border, to promptly detect and strictly handle violations, ensure an early end to the illegal trade and transportation of buffaloes and cows into Vietnam, especially focusing on handling cases of buffaloes and cows suspected of smuggling from Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand; direct and guide relevant units to organize information and propaganda to raise awareness of border residents in epidemic prevention, trade fraud, and illegal transportation of buffaloes and cow over the border.

Previously, on March 6, Chau Thanh district police, Tay Ninh Province arrested five people, including Nguyen Van Dung (41 years old); Truong Van Hieu (60 years old); Nguyen Hung Ty (47 years old); Nguyen Van Duong (33 years old) and Nguyen Van Textile (51 years old) live in Ben Cau hamlet, Bien Bien commune, Chau Thanh district, Tay Ninh province; to investigate the crime of cows smuggled across the border.

The Economic Police Department, the Tay Ninh Public Security, in collaboration with the Chau Thanh District Police and the Mobile Police Department, caught 37 cows smuggled from Cambodia at Nguyen Van Dung's cow farm in Ben Cau hamlet, Bien Bien commune, Chau Thanh district.

Through extensive investigation, the police continued to discover that at Mr. Truong Van Hieu's cow farm, he was keeping 18 cows smuggled from Cambodia. All five people confessed Nguyen Hung Ty and Truong Van Hieu jointly bought 55 cows from Cambodia to Vietnam to sell for profit.

According to Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee, the illegal trading and transportation of buffaloes and cows increase the risk of infection and spread of dangerous diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, lumpy skin, etc. On the other hand, smuggled products do not meet the requirements of veterinary hygiene and food safety, which can seriously affect the domestic livestock industry and people's health.