The first herd of pigs in the country infected with banned substances has been culled.
A herd of 11 pigs, each weighing 50-60 kg, in Tien Giang province has been destroyed by authorities through burning and burial.
On April 21st, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with the Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control in Tien Giang province, organized the destruction of a herd of pigs that had been treated with banned substances to protect consumer health. This is the first herd of pigs to be destroyed in the entire country.
A herd of 11 pigs, each weighing 50-60 kg, belonging to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luc in Xuan Dong commune, Cho Gao district, Tien Giang province, were destroyed by authorities through burning and burial to prevent environmental impact.
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| Dig a pit to dispose of pigs contaminated with banned substances. |
Previously, upon receiving information that Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Luc's pigs were being fed banned substances, the Tien Giang Provincial Veterinary Department sent veterinary officers to collect samples for testing. The results were positive for the banned substance Salbutamol.
Last year, authorities discovered that this livestock farmer had used banned substances in pig feed twice; the authorities imposed an administrative fine of 17.5 million VND and required the farmer to sign a commitment not to repeat the offense. However, this year, Mr. Luc's farm deliberately violated the regulations again.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Men, Head of the Tien Giang Provincial Veterinary Department, the province has a total pig population of over 550,000. Provincial authorities are strengthening management, supervision, and strictly handling cases of using banned substances in livestock farming.
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| Destroying pigs contaminated with banned substances. |
The current fines of 5-10 million VND for using banned substances in livestock farming are not yet a sufficient deterrent.
That money is sometimes given by traders directly to farmers to pay the fines. Therefore, the farmers are not affected economically. From July 1, 2016, the Penal Code stipulates that acts of using banned substances can be prosecuted. This is the direction for authorities to thoroughly address the use of banned substances in livestock farming.
According to VOV
