Pork is consumed strongly.
At 2 a.m., the Hung Chinh slaughterhouse in Vinh City was already lit up, bustling with people coming in and out to prepare to slaughter pigs. This slaughterhouse is located quite far from residential areas, surrounded by dense trees, so the noise is limited and does not affect the surrounding people. The slaughtering activity is carried out from about 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., in time for traders to come and take the meat to the market, ensuring freshness for the market.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tai, representative of Hung Chinh slaughterhouse, said: In November and December 2023, African swine fever broke out, consumers were afraid of pork, so the number of pigs slaughtered at the slaughterhouse decreased sharply, fluctuating from 5 to 7 pigs per day. However, in January 2024, when the epidemic was basically under control, coinciding with the time near Tet, the number of pigs slaughtered skyrocketed, on average, our slaughterhouse slaughtered 20 to 25 pigs per day, 3 times more than before.
In Vinh City, Hung Chinh is the only centralized slaughterhouse after Nghi Phu slaughterhouse stopped operating in recent years. Normally, the slaughterhouse opens at 4am, but from now until Tet, it opens 1-2 hours earlier to meet demand.
Not only in Vinh City but also other slaughterhouses in the province are bustling. In Nam Dan district, there are 3 slaughterhouses concentrated in Nam Nghia, Xuan Hoa, Nam Anh communes, the number of pigs slaughtered also increased 2-3 times near Tet.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Huyen - representative of Xuan Hoa slaughterhouse, Nam Dan district said: The demand for pork is increasing, not only for daily meals but many people also collect meat to make Tet items such as sausages, ham, dried pork, sausages... Therefore, I have to mobilize more workers to increase productivity, serving people during Tet. On average, I slaughter about 30 pigs per day, importing not only Nam Dan district but also neighboring localities such as Hung Nguyen, Vinh city...
According to statistics from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Nghe An province, there are 974 slaughterhouses in Nghe An province, of which 41 are centralized slaughterhouses, specifically: Yen Thanh 14; Thanh Chuong 6; Do Luong 6; Dien Chau 4; Nghi Loc 3; Nam Dan 3; Hung Nguyen 1; Vinh City 1; Tan Ky 1; Quy Chau 1; Ky Son 1. The whole province currently has 933 small-scale slaughterhouses.
Tighten slaughtering work
With a total herd of over 1 million pigs, the demand for pork consumption is large every day, increasing dramatically during Tet, so the supply of safe pork is always a top concern for people.
Currently, in localities where African swine fever has appeared, Nghe An province has directed localities to set up quarantine checkpoints and properly destroy infected pigs, while strictly prohibiting the buying, selling, and transporting of pigs in and out of epidemic areas. Any locality that allows infected pigs to be traded in the market must take full responsibility.
For pork imported to centralized slaughterhouses, it is mandatory to have documents to trace the origin, ensuring that it comes from areas that have not had an epidemic, and during the pig slaughtering process, there must be supervision by local veterinary staff.
Mr. Ho Manh Hung - Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Hoa Commune, Nam Dan District said: Xuan Hoa slaughterhouse was previously managed by the district, and from the beginning of 2024, it was handed over to the commune for management. Since the time of taking over, the work of ensuring pig input has been a top concern of the locality. Every day, when pigs arrive at the slaughterhouse, the functional forces and commune veterinary officers check the documents, and only if they are valid will they be allowed to be brought to the slaughterhouse. Due to the high number of slaughtered pigs during Tet, in addition to the existing veterinary officers, the commune also had to hire another veterinary officer to take turns supervising the slaughterhouse every day, to prevent sick pigs from appearing at the slaughterhouse.
At 2am on January 19, we followed Mr. Uong Thanh Tuan - a veterinary officer of Vinh City Agricultural Service Center to supervise the pig slaughtering at Hung Chinh slaughterhouse. It is known that the veterinary officers in charge of the center are each assigned to be on duty one day at the slaughterhouse, from the time the slaughterhouse opens until the time the traders come to take the meat to the market (usually from 6am to 7am).
According to observations, all pigs at the slaughterhouse on the morning of January 19 had presented valid documents, mainly imported from large farms and small-scale households from areas where the disease had not yet appeared, and were all in good health. After slaughter, the finished pork was stamped with an inspection stamp by veterinary staff, ensuring that it met safety conditions when brought to market.
Ms. Bui Thi Hoai, a pork trader at the slaughterhouse, said: When we import meat to market, we always require the veterinary agency to stamp it to ensure that the pork is clean because people now when buying pork are concerned about the origin of the pork, whether it has been quarantined or not. If the pork does not have a stamp, people do not buy it, and sales are slow, then we are the first to suffer because we spent money to import the goods to sell.
Currently, pig slaughtering at centralized slaughterhouses basically ensures safety. However, in reality, with 933 small-scale slaughterhouses in households in the province, the frequency of slaughter is uneven, and there is a lack of inspection and supervision forces, there is still a potential risk of pigs not meeting safety standards entering the market. This is an issue that requires the participation and coordination of local authorities, functional forces, and grassroots veterinary services.
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