The Customs actively prevent African Swine Fever at border gates

	Lang Son: strictly preventing smuggling of pigs of unknown origin
	Customs concentrate on preventing African swine fever (ASF)
	Which plan is to prevent African hog cholera infecting Vietnam?

Customs and competent authority strengthen coordination to closely control at Doc Quyt Integrated Control Station. Photo: H.N

Actively prevent

To cope with the outbreak of ASF, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has requested municipal and provincial Customs departments to closely supervise at border gates, tracks and trails for people and means of transport entering Vietnam from countries affected by ASF.

In addition to directing local customs departments to strengthen close supervision at border gates, trails, tracks at border areas, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has directed them to strengthen anti-smuggling, closely coordinate with competent authorities, local governments in preventing, investigating and handling violations for illegal transportation, and smuggling of pigs and pork products.

Also, the General Department of Vietnam Customs requests local Customs departments to carry out customs procedures for imported pigs and pork products as follows: Goods must be managed at the first entry gate; do not carry out procedures for Customs branch transfer and goods preservation. At the same time, requesting local customs departments to only implement customs clearance when the quarantine certificate meets the requirements of quarantine agencies.

If detecting shipments of illegally imported pigs and pork products or suspected of smuggling without origin certification, including shipments imported in the form of gifts or donations by organizations, individuals and border residents, the local customs units must stop the customs clearance and report to relevant authorities for handling.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs asked local customs units to report the situation and handling results for the shipments of imported pigs and pork products infected with ASF (if any) to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Tighten control

According to information from customs departments in some provinces adjacent to China (Customs Department of Lao Cai, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Quang Ninh, Ha Giang), these departments have strengthened the control and have not yet detected any case of ASF-infected pork smuggled into Vietnam.

According to representatives of these Customs departments, realizing the danger of this disease to the health of the Vietnamese people, the departments have strengthened inspection and control at the border gates as well as auxiliary gates, trails, and tracks to timely prevent ASF-infected pork smuggled into Vietnam.

In Quang Ninh, from the beginning of 2019 until now, Quang Ninh Customs Department has coordinated and arrested 3 live pigs (375 kg) without origin certification in Hoanh Mo Border Gate (Binh Lieu District, Quang Ninh province).

Implementing the Official Telegraph No.04 of the Chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee and the Official Telegraph No. 16 of the Quang Ninh Provincial Steering Committee 389, Quang Ninh Customs Department has requested its Customs Branches, Customs Enforcement Teams No. 1 and 2, and the Integrated Control Station of km 15 Dan Tien Pier, to strictly comply with Customs procedures for goods traded and exchanged by border residents, including gifts and donations that are pigs and pork products; not to allow goods that are not quarantined to be imported to Vietnam for consumption.

At the same time, units need to simultaneously apply specialized measures, strengthen patrol and control on key routes and areas; actively coordinate with competent forces in the province such as Border Guard, Police, Market Surveillance, Coast Guard, Animal Health and Quarantine agencies... in information exchange to promptly detect, arrest and strictly handle smuggling, illegally transporting pigs and pork products without certificate of origin across the border.

As a standing office of the Steering Committee of 389 of Quang Ninh provinces, Quang Ninh Customs Department has also regularly updated the evolution of epidemics and promptly advised the Provincial People's Committee and Steering Committee of 389 border localities to prevent and fight against ASF in the province.

Besides, actively coordinating with local governments and organizations to propagandize well for people not to participate and support smuggling and illegal transportation of pigs and pork products across border gates to inland to prevent the spread of the disease.

In Ha Tinh, talking to Customs Newspaper’s reporters, Mr. Dinh Van Hoa, Deputy Director in charge of Ha Tinh Customs Department said that Ha Tinh Customs Department has directed its Customs branches to assign customs officers to strengthen control and closely supervise the illegal transportation of livestock, poultry, and poultry products across the border.

Currently, Ha Tinh Provincial People's Committee has established a Steering Committee for Prevention and Disease Control to closely control vehicles transporting goods via Ha Tinh province, especially National Highway 1, Ho Chi Minh trail and Ben Thuy Toll Plaza.

In Lang Son province, right after the direction of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee on strengthening prevention and control of ASF, Lang Son Customs Department has requested customs branches and Customs Enforcement Team, to strengthen the inspection and supervision at official border gates and auxiliary border gates, trails and tracks to promptly prevent infected pork from being smuggled into Vietnam.

In particular, the Department has coordinated with competent forces to promptly prevent, detect and strictly handle traffickers and smugglers of pigs and pork products without certificates of origin. At the same time, coordinating in propagandizing and distributing leaflets to urge people not to participate in trafficking, transporting pigs and pork products smuggled into inland for consumption; destroying pigs and pork products that are smuggled and illegally transported into Vietnam. There are many trails and tracks, border residents traveling and trading goods in Lang Son, so there is a high risk of ASF infection to the inland. In order to prevent ASF infection to Vietnam, on 31 January 2019, Lang Son People's Committee issued a document directing competent agencies and forces such as: Market Surveillance, Customs, Border Guard, Department Agriculture and Rural Development, Lang Son Regional Animal Quarantine Branch to coordinate to promptly prevent, detect and strictly deal with traffickers, smugglers of pigs and pork products suspected of smuggling without certificate of origin, including pigs and pork products imported in forms of gifts and donations by organizations, individuals and border residents.

How do the border areas prevent African swine fever? VCN – Dealing with the high risk of infection from African Swine Fever (ASF), especially from China, ...

In the border areas, the Customs, Border Guard, and Quarantine forces have closely supervised at the border gates, trails, and tracks.

According to statistics from October 2018 up to now, the competent forces at the border gate have arrested 9 shipments of smuggled pork products at the border gates: Tan Thanh, Coc Nam and Huu Nghi with more than 1,800 kg. These forces assigned the Lang Son Animal Quarantine Branch to take samples for inspection and destruction. As a result, 9 samples were negative for ASF.