Scandal of CP Group Selling Sick Pigs: Pigs Stamped with False Quarantine Seals, Case File to be Transferred to the Ministry of Public Security.

On June 3, at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s regular press briefing, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Nguyen Thu Thuy, shared that upon learning of a social media account posting images of dead pigs being supplied to a C.P. food store, the Department immediately requested a report and clarification from C.P.

Initial investigations revealed that the images shared by the social media account were from an incident in 2022 at the Dung Nga slaughterhouse in Hau Giang Province.

At that time, the slaughterhouse requested to process the pigs by heat treatment and convert them for fish feed. According to Ms. Thuy, this practice is guided by the Department of Veterinary Medicine, but upon inspecting the records at the facility, it was found that there was no document regarding this process. The facility was then requested to provide the necessary documentation.

Additionally, the store in Soc Trang Province, accused of selling diseased pork, was ordered to close, and its products were sealed and inspected. No unsafe food products were detected.

Regarding disease control, the Regional Veterinary Bureau No. 7 collected samples for testing, but only one sample from Can Tho was available, which tested negative for African swine fever, blue ear disease, and classical swine fever.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Phung Duc Tien, questioned the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine about C.P.’s practice of feeding dead pigs to fish, inquiring if it complied with regulations.

Ms. Thuy explained that at the time, the slaughterhouse reported pigs with skin symptoms and requested heat treatment, which is appropriate for fish feed according to regulations.

However, Deputy Minister Tien asserted, “Feeding dead pigs to fish is inappropriate, especially during the African swine fever outbreak. The prevention plan clearly states that pigs showing signs of disease must be treated with lime, chemicals, or incineration.”

“Pigs with redness and hemorrhage are likely infected with viruses or bacteria. Why would they be processed for fish feed?” Deputy Minister Tien emphasized.

Stamping a square mark on diseased pigs is incorrect

Notably, regarding slaughter control, the Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine stated that the stamp seen on the pig in the social media images was incorrect.

According to regulations, pigs with skin inflammation that are heat-treated and converted for other purposes must be stamped with a circle, while pigs that are sick and destroyed must be stamped with a triangle. The square stamp on the pig’s body is incorrect, as square stamps indicate that the meat is fit for the market.

The Deputy Minister immediately requested the Department to identify who and which agency applied the stamp and asserted that the Ministry would pursue accountability to the fullest extent, ensuring that “one bad apple doesn’t spoil the bunch.”

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment requested the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine to finalize the dossier and submit it to the Ministry’s leaders for consideration and transfer to the Ministry of Public Security for handling. “We support businesses when they comply with the law, not when they discharge pollutants and provide dirty products for over 100 million Vietnamese people, disregarding the well-being of the population,” emphasized the Ministry’s leadership.