UK proposes to import Vietnamese processed chicken in September

During the WOAH 90th General Session's series of events in France on May 21-22, the Vietnamese delegation, led by MARD Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, engaged in several notable bilateral meetings with key partners. These included discussions with Ms. Monique Eloit, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and Ms. Christine Middlemiss, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the United Kingdom.

At the meeting with the WOAH leader, Ms. Monique Eloit highly evaluated the Vietnamese deputy minister’s speech at the opening session of the WOAH 90th General Session. She emphasized that Vietnam has undertaken a number of initiatives to effectively evaluate disease management. It is imperative to implement strategies to regulate the utilization of antibiotics in livestock production, as failure to do so may result in the presence of antibiotic residues in products due to inadequate control.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien proposed that WOAH and OIE continue their support for PVS – Evaluation Follow-up of Vietnam for both terrestrial and aquatic, technical evaluation of vaccines against African Swine Fever, programs related to foot-and-mouth disease, disease-free construction, and export facilities.

He also requested that WOAH and OIE assist Vietnam with aquatic disease control and rabies control, construct a disease report component in accordance with WOAH/OIE regulations on the VAHIS system, control anti-biotics, and train manpower.

Ms. Monique Eloit acknowledged Vietnam's suggestions and affirmed to proposed to dispatch experts to help Vietnam assess epidemic-free areas in relation to the disease reporting system in Vietnam and other Asian countries; construct a link model to monitor for clarity and complete information.

Simultaneously, she requested the deputy minister to direct specialized agencies to consistently disseminate data regarding the outcomes of administering ASF vaccinations. The Director General of the World Organization for Agricultural Health (WOAH) is set to allocate committees comprising research organizations to shortly finalize the signing of minutes with Vietnam, outlining the areas that require collaboration and assistance.

During the bilateral meeting with Ms. Christine Middlemiss, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the United Kingdom, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien recalled the Memorandum of Understanding on agricultural cooperation between the two nations and various topics that were discussed in 2022. The representative from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development expressed gratitude to the United Kingdom for their efforts in processing the dossier for the importation of processed chicken from Vietnam to the UK. At the same time, he also announced that Vietnam supports the participation of the UK in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The Government Veterinary Services highly evaluated the support from Vietnam and thanked for the approval of dossiers for British pork and chicken to enter Vietnam. The former is compiling an extensive list of commercial objects and requisite paperwork to be submitted for the purpose of obtaining official approval. The British side also mentioned its desire to export duck and geese meat to Vietnam and want to send information for review and evaluation. Furthermore, the British party conveyed its preference towards exporting goose and chicken feathers to Vietnam, citing the stringent regulations and superior quality standards adhered to in the UK related to these commodities.

The United Kingdom has transmitted official documentation pertaining to the exportation of beef and mutton to the nation of Vietnam. The UK eagerly anticipates the arrival of a Vietnamese technical delegation for the purposes of evaluation, with the aim of facilitating this visit at the earliest possible point in 2023.

The British proposals were acknowledged by Mr. Phung Duc Tien, who expressed his intention to instruct the Department of Animal Health to assess and give preference to the processing of records related to British pork and chicken imports into Vietnam. He proposed that the United Kingdom make a commitment to import processed chicken from Vietnam in June. However, the UK side suggested delaying the importation until September due to constraints in human resources for handling import documentation and the need for additional processing time.

On May 22, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien and the MARD delegation met with Mr. Serge Lhermitte, Head of the Competitiveness and Environmental Performance Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Food of French.

The author observed that there have been instances of collaboration in the agricultural sector between the two nations in recent times. The author expressed appreciation for France's assistance and cooperation in Vietnam's agricultural sector, with a particular emphasis on areas such as water management, poverty alleviation, and technical and scientific cooperation.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien put forth several areas of collaboration to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Governor General of French Food. These areas include ecological agriculture, food safety and value chain, agricultural processing, food processing, and supply chain, storage, and transportation of agricultural products.

Concerning safety, hygiene, animal and plant quarantine, as well as trade-related market access, the two parties must exchange information and cooperate in science and technology.

In terms of trade and investment, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that Vietnamese companies need France's assistance to continue to improve the quality management system of agricultural production facilities by obtaining international certification and adhering to standards on plant protection drugs, colorants, and food additives; It is necessary to actively innovate production to meet quality standards and keep up with the development trend of the European and French markets.

Vietnam is seeking France's support in enhancing cooperation for sustainable fisheries development. This includes technical and financial assistance to bolster Vietnam's capacity to effectively execute the European Union's proposition to lift the yellow card (IUU) for Vietnam.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) expresses its desire for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of France to engage in collaborative efforts with MARD in order to formulate project proposals pertaining to climate change adaptation and green growth within the agricultural production sector.

The leadership of MARD proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food establish a collaborative mechanism to facilitate training for managers and researchers affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Vietnam.