A boat of smuggled pigs from Cambodia to An Giang Province. State offices in some southern provinces are asked to strengthen control of trafficking and transport of smuggled pigs in those provinces. VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

HÀ NỘI — The General Department of Market Surveillance under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has requested its branches in some southern provinces strengthen inspection and control over the trading and transport of smuggled pigs.

These provinces are Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông, Bình Phước, Tây Ninh, Long An, Đồng Tháp, An Giang and Kiên Giang.

The trading and transportation of smuggled pigs and products processed from the animals across the border between Việt Nam and neighbouring countries continue to be a problem as African swine fever is still prevalent there.

In border areas, the department requests its branches in those provinces to coordinate with the Border Guard, Customs and Public Security to inspect, control and prevent trading and transportation for banned, smuggled, counterfeit and commercial fraud goods as well as smuggled pigs, chinhphu.vn reported.

In the domestic market, these departments must coordinate with the traffic police to check and prevent the trafficking and transport of those pigs.

They must also cooperate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in inspecting and controlling wholesale markets and poultry slaughter centres to detect and strictly handle acts of trading products that are processed from smuggled and unknown-origin pigs and pigs not meeting veterinary hygiene and food safety requirements.

The departments strengthen the coordination with the communication agencies to inform business organisations and individuals in the localities about regulations on food safety and the harm of using and trading smuggled and unknown-origin pigs. VNS