Pigs wearing tracking rings are still not safe, why?

It is worth noting that among the newly discovered sedated pigs, many were wearing identification bracelets as part of the pork traceability program that Ho Chi Minh City is implementing.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Conference, Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan requested that the authorities strengthen inspection and supervision of food safety and hygiene. This request was based on the information that nearly 4,000 pigs were injected with tranquilizers at the Xuyen A slaughterhouse (Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City) that was recently discovered.

Pigs wearing traceability rings are still injected with sedatives

In order to control the origin of food entering Ho Chi Minh City, since the end of 2016, the city has started implementing a project to trace the origin of pork. Each pig will be attached with a ring containing necessary information (address of the farm, farming quality, disease control...). When the ring is activated, the above information will be displayed on the barcode affixed to each piece of pork sold in supermarkets and markets.

A place selling clean pork with clear origin. However, the project to trace the origin of pork in Ho Chi Minh City is not effective because the quality of the meat source is not managed.

Consumers only need to use a smartphone with software installed to scan the barcode on the meat, and all information about the origin will be displayed. The goal of the project is that 100% of pork sold in markets and supermarkets in the city will have traceable origin.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, to date the city has received registrations to participate in the project from 1,280 livestock farms in 15 provinces and cities, 25 slaughterhouses, 786 modern business establishments and 146 establishments in retail markets.

Although the process is strict, in reality, the control of the quality of safe pork supplied to the market is still not guaranteed. Specifically, the case of about 4,000 pigs being injected with sedatives at the Xuyen A slaughterhouse - the largest slaughterhouse in Ho Chi Minh City - has just been discovered by the authorities. Notably, information from the authorities said that among the nearly 4,000 pigs injected with sedatives at this slaughterhouse, many pigs also wore identification bracelets to trace their origin.

Traceability but meat quality not yet managed

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City - the project of tracing the origin of pork in phase 1 is relatively stable for farmers when 78 - 80% of farmers put traceability rings on their pigs before selling them. However, the project is facing difficulties in the second phase at the slaughterhouse when traders do not fully participate, the rate of pigs wearing traceability rings here is still low.

Among the thousands of pigs at the Xuyen A slaughterhouse that were injected with tranquilizers, many had traceability bracelets.

Currently, the project management board is advising the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to impose sanctions at the output, that is, the wholesale market requires traders and merchants to participate in the project, activate the identification circle and take responsibility for the number of pigs supplied to be eligible to bring goods to the market.

Dr. Dao Ha Trung - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High Technology Association - the unit providing the application for tracing the origin of pork, poultry meat and eggs said: "The stamping of pork origin is actually a tool for consumers to know the origin of the product, the most important role is still the role of the Food Safety and Veterinary Department, the units that directly control and inspect food. In addition, with the pork tracing process, we will know at which stage the product is defective? How it is interfered with, and from there, we can isolate the area for handling" - Dr. Dao Ha Trung said.

Public opinion believes that what people need most now is that the quality of pork delivered to consumers must be safe, without sedatives, lean meat additives or other toxic substances. Meanwhile, the project to trace the origin of pork that the city has been implementing for several months now has only stopped at providing information about the breeding facilities to the slaughterhouse, meaning that it has not yet managed the quality of pork to ensure safety or not.

According to Labor Newspaper