Vietnam eyes 7,000 heads of cattle from Thailand this year

The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) announced that Vietnamese authorities gave the stamp of approval to 14 cattle farms for export on Wednesday.

The deal is the result of six months of negotiations since late last year about cattle sanitation, disease control and health certification under international standards, DLD spokesman Sophat Chawankul said.

“It’s good news for Thai farmers and another step forward in expanding Thailand’s cattle market overseas,” he said.

Under the deal, the cattle must meet several criteria, including the following:

• Must be born or raised for more than two months in Thai farms and certified free from foot-and-mouth disease. Must be vaccinated against the disease at least 14 days before export.
• Have no signs of lumpy skin disease and be vaccinated against it no sooner than two months and no later than one year ago.
• Should pass random strip tests for Beta-agonist substances twice – once at the farm before transport and again at the animal quarantine zone at the border.
• Must be free from brucellosis and pneumonia at least one year before export.
• All cattle must be ear-tagged to allow traceability and accompanied by a veterinary health certificate issued by the DLD.

Sophat said Thai cattle farmers should have no trouble meeting Vietnam’s safety standards as DLD has been promoting Good Farming Management (GFM) and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) among all farmers and slaughterhouses in the country.

Besides, he said, the use of Beta-agonist substances to make the colour of the meat more vibrant has been declared illegal in Thailand since 2003.