Pigs are being smuggled into Vietnam in droves, farmers are calling for help.

Dong Nai Livestock Association hopes the Government will have solutions to protect domestic pigs from massive smuggling from Cambodia, affecting domestic consumption and the risk of disease.

In a recent petition sent to the Prime Minister, the Dong Nai Livestock Association said that in the first two weeks of the year, 6,000-7,000 pigs were smuggled into Vietnam from Cambodia every night. According to the association's calculations, the number of smuggled pigs accounts for about 30% of the domestic livestock output sold each day. With a selling price of just over 50,000 VND per kilogram of live pigs, domestic farmers are losing money because they have to sell below production cost.

In addition, the association believes that the widespread smuggling of pigs increases the risk of disease spreading. In the future, the domestic pig herd will be seriously affected, causing a shortage of domestic supply.

Pig farm in the South. Photo: Vissan — Pig farm in the South. Photo: *Vissan*

"For many years, the domestic livestock industry has been under pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic, African swine fever... so it has suffered continuous losses. Many farms or households have had to reduce their herds and stop production," Mr. Nguyen Tri Cong, Chairman of the Dong Nai Livestock Association, stated in the petition.

Therefore, the association recommends that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development direct relevant agencies to establish inspection teams to prevent the illegal transportation and trade of pigs into Vietnam along the border, at border gates, and on trails. At the same time, the authorities direct and guide units to raise awareness among people in border areas in the work of disease prevention and control, trade fraud, as well as support the destruction of large numbers of pigs that must be destroyed to prevent the spread of disease.

Previously, in 2023, the association had twice petitioned the Prime Minister about the massive illegal import of pigs into Vietnam. In particular, the association had also sent a letter to the Governor of the State Bank Nguyen Thi Hong, hoping for urgent rescue policies for the livestock industry.

According to the association, 10 years ago, the country had 10 million livestock households, by 2021 there were 4 million households, now there are less than 2 million households. If smuggling is not stopped soon and there are no synchronous solutions, many areas are at risk of being wiped out in livestock farming.

According to VnExpress , from October 2023 to now, the price of live pigs has continuously dropped sharply to 46,000 VND per kg, 8,000-10,000 VND lower than the cost price, causing many pig farmers to face difficulties.

In recent days, the price of live pigs has started to increase again, but in many areas it is still low, fluctuating between 52,000-58,000 VND per kg.

Thi Ha

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