Need to be fair with the Vietnamese-Australian shrimp seed brand

The recent overlapping information surrounding the Vietnam-Australia shrimp seedling case has sounded the alarm about the unhealthy competition in shrimp seedling production in our country. To broaden public opinion, Con Tom would like to introduce the opinion of an “insider” - Mr. Nguyen Cong Can, Deputy Technical Director of Vietnam-Australia Company Limited.



Shrimp hatchery system of Viet-Uc Company. Photo: Phan Thanh Cuong

On January 15, 2013, Viet-Uc Company Limited received Official Letter 85/SNN-TS dated January 14, 2013 from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Thuan. On January 16, 2013, a number of individuals disseminated the above Official Letter to Viet-Uc customers in many provinces.

On January 23, 2013, the Inspection Team conducted an inspection of Viet-Uc Company Limited while the Company's Board of Directors was absent, so the Company could not provide documents as requested by the Inspection Team. The Inspection Team should have noted this fact and recorded in the minutes the reason why Viet-Uc Company Limited "has not" or "could not" provide the origin records of 26,600 whiteleg shrimp weighing 20g-40g/shrimp; 85,000 Post 28 whiteleg shrimp and 8 Mysis ponds. Unfortunately, the Inspection Team made a record stating that the above shrimp "does not have origin records...", causing misunderstanding for the handling agencies, pushing the matter too far.

The very next day, January 24, 2013, a number of individuals had in hand the above inspection report and faxed it to shrimp seed distributors and many agencies across the country, causing confusion and damaging the reputation of Viet-Uc Company Limited.

In the decision to establish the Inspection Team No. 15/QD-TTTS dated January 21, 2013, there was a member of the Binh Thuan Shrimp Breeding Association participating in the team. That was Mr. Phan Tuan Cu, Vice President of the Binh Thuan Shrimp Breeding Association, and it was Mr. Phan Tuan Cu who signed the petition sent to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requesting an inspection of the production facility of the Viet - Uc Company (?!).

Based on the above developments, Viet-Uc Company Limited has grounds to suspect that this incident occurred according to a pre-arranged plan to reduce the reputation of the Viet-Uc shrimp brand, causing serious consequences for our Company.

Viet-Uc Company Limited considers that the presence of a member of the Binh Thuan Shrimp Breeding Association in this Inspection Team is unsafe for the confidentiality of Viet-Uc's white-leg shrimp broodstock domestication technology, a technology that we have spent a lot of money and effort to obtain. Viet-Uc Company Limited is responsible for confidentiality and is fully responsible for the technology transfer party.

After many days of inspection and examination by specialized agencies of Viet - Uc Company Limited, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Thuan sent report No. 38/BC-SNN dated March 12, 2013 to the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province, with a conclusion: The number of white-leg shrimp being raised at Viet - Uc Company Limited, Vinh Tan commune, Tuy Phong, Binh Thuan (including 20,600 white-leg shrimp weighing 20g - 40g, 85,000 Post 28 shrimp and 8 Mysis shrimp ponds) is the number of shrimp in the process of testing and producing parent shrimp, with clear origin, selectively produced from batches of parent shrimp imported from Singapore, Hawaii, Thailand. The number of Postlarvae and Nauplii shrimp produced and sold by Viet-Uc Binh Thuan Company Limited in 2012 was produced from 4,415 pairs of white-leg shrimp parents imported from Singapore and Hawaii with clear origins and confirmed by the authorities. At the same time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed a press conference to "clear the name of Viet-Uc" with the desire to bring correct information to consumers and also to regain the shrimp seed brand for Binh Thuan in general.

Through the above developments, Viet-Uc Company Limited recommends that the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province consider handling the responsibility of Binh Thuan Shrimp Breeding Association and related companies and individuals in spreading unfounded and false information causing damage to Viet-Uc Company Limited in particular and the Binh Thuan shrimp breeding brand in general.

According to (Thuysanvietnam) – LC