A cow breeding company in Vietnam was fined VND1.25 billion (US$55,000) for multiple violations of regulatios on environmental and water resources protection.

The People’s Committee in Ha Tinh Province levied fines on Khanh Giang Co. Ltd. for a total of 11 violations at the Bac Ha high-producing dairy farm project in Duc Tho District, according to a source from the district’s Office of Natural Resources and Environment.

The company did not have a certificate of completion of environmental protection works for the entire project, failed to conduct periodic waste monitoring, improperly implemented one category of the environmental impact assessment, and built and installed equipment and pipelines to discharge untreated waste into the environment.

It did not collect hazardous waste, failed to make periodic hazardous waste management reports, discharged wastewater with concentration exceeding relevant standards, failed to make reports on the use of groundwater, failed to install monitoring and surveillance equipment, and failed to comply with the provisions of its groundwater exploitation permit.

In addition to the administrative sanctions, Khanh Giang was also suspended from operating the Bac Ha high-producing dairy farm project for six months to remedy its violations.

The provincial People’s Committee licensed the firm to implement the aforementioned project on an area of over 27 hectares in An Dung Commune, Duc Tho District in 2015.

The authorities expected the project, with a scale of 500 cows, would develop a raw material area in the locale, create jobs, and help local people increase their income.

However, the company changed from raising cows to breeding 1,646 pigs illegally, causing environmental pollution and affecting the living environment of the people in An Dung and adjacent communes.

On August 16, Ha Tinh chairman Vo Trong Hai and leaders of relevant departments inspected livestock production at Khanh Giang's farm. 

Hai then required the company to move all pigs out of the farm before 6:00 pm on August 20 and not to raise hogs at the farm again.

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