Vietnamese firms are being urged to boost sustainable livestock practices, ensure animal welfare, and improve the value of products as Vietnam’s livestock industry is facing multiple challenges, especially after the country started to speed up its international integration, Duong Tat Thang, head of the Department of Livestock Production, said at a press briefing in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Livestock is one of the main drivers of Vietnam’s agriculture industry, Thang told the press conference to introduce the Vietstock Expo and Forum 2023, an event for enterprises active in the livestock and seafood processing industries.  

However, the food safety issue has slowed down the growth of the field, he added. 

Firms should take food safety into account, while upgrading the processes of containing diseases and slaughtering animals to boost livestock sustainability, he underlined.  

They should also focus on the farming environment and capitalize on the circular economy model by reusing by-products.

Thang said that the Vietstock Expo and Forum is aimed at giving firms a chance to access the latest technologies in the world to speed up sustainable livestock farming in Vietnam.

Dr. Vo Trong Thanh, a representative from the department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the nation’s livestock is expected to experience several difficulties in animal biosafety.

Livestock biosecurity in Vietnam remains weak, while the Law on Livestock stipulates a ban on the use of antibiotics in livestock farming from 2026.

As such, it is time for farming firms and farmers to adopt effective measures to improve the quality of herds and phase out antibiotics, Thanh underscored.

Vietnam’s livestock accounted for 27 percent of the agriculture sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product in the first half of 2023.

Some 350 exhibitors from 30 nations and territories will participate in the Vietstock Expo and Forum 2023, which will take place in Ho Chi Minh City between October 11 and 13.

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