The meat was unsanitary and contained questionable substances.

While the majority of the population still consumes meat slaughtered in unsanitary facilities, the control of banned substances (beta-agonis) in livestock farming remains a cause for serious concern.

Preventing tainted meat – an impossible task. Photo: Pham Anh.

Meat, offal, and slimy by-products lay on the floor.

According to official statistics, Hanoi has approximately 3,000 small-scale slaughterhouses operating on dirty floors, where animals are slaughtered by simply stabbing and shaving their heads. Most of these slaughterhouses are located in residential areas, or even at the homes of livestock farmers, and have not implemented proper quarantine procedures or slaughter inspection and control according to regulations.

Hanoi once had 7 modern slaughterhouses for livestock and poultry, but now only 2 are operational (operating at only 10-20% capacity). Therefore, it can be understood that the majority of Hanoi residents are consuming meat from traditional slaughterhouses (many of which do not guarantee food safety and hygiene).

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dang, Deputy Head of the Hanoi Veterinary Department, most of these slaughterhouses and slaughtering facilities are not included in the construction plans of the authorities at all levels; the slaughtering areas, equipment, water, waste, and environment do not meet the standards of a slaughterhouse as prescribed by regulations.

According to information from the Hanoi Veterinary Department, at the centralized slaughterhouse in Van Phuc (Thanh Tri, Hanoi), which slaughters approximately 1,200 pigs per day and is managed by Thinh An Joint Stock Company, there is still a situation where slaughtering and processing of offal and by-products takes place on a muddy, blood- and hairy tiled floor. After slaughtering, traders transport 2-3 naked pigs, or even 4-5 pigs, on each motorbike, driving along various roads to markets.

According to Mr. Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Director of the Department of Quality Management of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, an assessment of livestock and poultry slaughterhouses (from 31 provinces and cities) revealed that the percentage of facilities initially rated C (not meeting standards) remains high (nearly 45%).

Regarding periodic inspections, 60% of establishments were classified as C, and 180 establishments were re-inspected. Of these, 52 establishments were upgraded to B (28.9%), while the remaining 128 establishments (71%) remained classified as C. Currently, these establishments are temporarily suspended until the inspection results meet the requirements before they can resume operations. According to Mr. Tiep, the public disclosure of establishments classified as C and the re-inspection of C-class establishments have not been widely implemented, and periodic inspections are still very slow and incomplete according to regulations.

Mr. Tiep stated that the recent food safety inspection in 9 provinces and cities revealed that out of 25 collective kitchens, supermarkets, and agricultural product processing facilities, 17 establishments still did not fully meet food safety requirements. The main issues included a lack of personal protective equipment, standing water on the floors, warehouses sharing restrooms, raw materials stored on the floor, the use of meat without quarantine stamps, unclear record-keeping, and raw materials without traceable origins.

Difficult to manage toxic substances.

Recently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Nai province (where in 2012, farmers were found using banned substances to make pigs' thighs and shoulders appear larger) announced that, after analyzing 50 urine samples and 50 samples of animal feed on the market, no banned substances in the beta-agonist group (Ractopamine, Sabultamol, Clenbuterol) were detected. However, due to inadequate procedures in slaughtering, transportation, and sale in markets, the meat sold at stalls is contaminated with many microorganisms, which is a serious concern.

Mr. Le Ba Lich, Chairman of the Vietnam Animal Feed Association, stated that controlling the quality of meat containing antibiotic residues and harmful substances is currently very difficult. According to him, Vietnam almost does not produce the types of additives and supplements used in animal feed to help livestock and poultry grow faster, so they have to be imported. Currently, nearly 200 businesses nationwide import these additives and supplements (many from China), and none of them go through the association. Furthermore, it is very difficult for relevant authorities to manage this process.

According to Mr. Lich, these types of supplements are very expensive, costing tens to hundreds of millions of VND per kilogram, with a dosage of only 0.5-1 kg of additive per ton of animal feed. "Whether or not there are banned beta agonists in animal husbandry stems from this," Mr. Lich said.

Mr. Lich stated that large animal feed manufacturers wouldn't dare add banned substances, as detection would lead to bankruptcy. It's mainly smaller companies that import these banned substances through unofficial channels and market them directly to livestock farms. Currently, the practice of slaughtering pigs and selling them while still containing residual antibiotics and other additives remains common.

According to Dan Tri - HV