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On May 28, 2021, Vietnam Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Phung Duc Tien, announced the suspension of imports of live pigs from Thailand following the detection of African swine fever (ASF) in a batch of 980 imported live pigs from Thailand.
Imports of live pigs from Thailand will continue to be allowed until June 30, 2021 with strict controls to ensure biosecurity. The Department of Animal Health will assess the epidemic situation in Thailand and consider allowing imports of live pigs again once conditions are safe.
Statistics from the Department of Animal Health show that from mid-June 2020 to January 13, 2021, more than 503,000 pigs were imported from Thailand for slaughter.
Previously, in 2020, due to a serious shortage of domestic supply, causing the price of pork in Vietnam to rise, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien signed a document allowing live pigs from Thailand to be imported into Vietnam for consumption, slaughtered for food, or farmed starting June 12, 2020. This document states that when there is enough pork production to meet demand, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will stop importing.
According to the Department of Animal Health, in 2020, Vietnam imported nearly 226 thousand tons of pork, an increase of 260% compared to 2019. The main suppliers being Russia, Poland, Brazil, Canada, USA, Germany, and Spain.
In the first quarter of 2021, Vietnam imported 34.65 thousand tons of pork worth 80.07 million USD, up 101.4% in volume and 102.3% in value over the same period in 2020.
Russia, Canada, Brazil, Poland, and Denmark are the 5 largest markets supplying pork to Vietnam. From the beginning of the year until now, live pigs have continued to be imported from Thailand, with an estimated monthly volume of 30,000 to 50,000 heads.
May 31, 2021/ Department of Livestock Production/ Vietnam.
