Since September the smuggling of poultry from China into Vietnam has increased remarkably, worsening the risk of the spread of avian flu and damaging domestic traders, said the Animal Husbandry Department Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy head of the department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, delivered this news at yesterday’s meeting held by the National Steering Board for Avian Flu Prevention and Control to discuss the epidemic situation. “Every day three or four trucks carry a large quantity of smuggled chicken to Ha Vy poultry market in Hanoi,” Son said. Besides the smuggled chickens, including those meant for breeding, were duck and swan eggs that were about to hatch, he added. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan called on local authorities at the northern border to tighten control to prevent poultry from being smuggled into Vietnam, especially via the Mong Cai border gate and Quang Yen Market in Quang Ninh Province. The market and the border gate account for as much as 90 percent of the volume of chicken smuggled into Vietnam, Tan said. Along with smuggling poultry from China, many businesses also officially import chickens that are no longer able to breed from South Korea, Son said. The H5N1 avian flu is currently impacting five provinces, including Quang Ngai, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang and Thai Binh, the ministry reported. Experts are worried that the increased smuggling of poultry may contribute to a possible breakout of avian flu in the closing months of this year, when the weather is colder, facilitating the development of the H5N1 virus. The smuggling has not only worsened worries about an epidemic, but also damaged domestic breeders and traders of poultry, since as smuggled chicken has flooded the market, prices have dropped to VND65,000 (US$3.1) per kilogram in northern provinces, a reduction of VND5,000-7,000 per kg, Deputy Minister Tan said. If the situation continues, breeders will suffer great losses and struggle to maintain their supply. As a result, a poultry shortage will occur in the near future, especially around the coming Lunar New Year festival, Tan warned.