Unveiling Misconduct: Spotlight on Inspection Failures at a Pig Slaughterhouse Supplying C.P. Vietnam

Addressing Multiple Violations

On June 5th, the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine submitted a report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment regarding the request to inspect and verify the misuse of health certification stamps for sick pigs of CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company.

According to the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine, staff of the Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries Station of Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province, committed several violations during the ante-mortem inspection at Dung-Nga livestock slaughterhouse, a subcontractor for CP Vietnam.

The Department has received a report from the Hau Giang Sub-Department of Livestock, Veterinary Medicine, and Fisheries (the Sub-Department), along with a copy of the 2022 ante-mortem inspection logbook from the facility where the incident occurred, a statement from the officer who conducted the inspection, and other relevant documents.

According to the Sub-Department’s minutes, the incident of misuse of ante-mortem inspection stamps occurred at 1:00 am on March 26, 2022, at the Dung-Nga livestock slaughterhouse; a total of 35 pigs were slaughtered that night, with each batch consisting of 5-7 pigs.

Mr. N.L.C., an official from the Phung Hiep district Livestock and Veterinary Station, was directly responsible for conducting the ante-mortem inspections at the facility. Mr. C. is a diagnostician of the third rank and has received relevant professional training and certification.

However, Mr. C. failed to observe both sides of the pig’s carcass and stamped only one side with the ante-mortem inspection stamp. Upon discovering multiple inflammatory lesions on the other side, indicating a lack of veterinary hygiene, he refrained from stamping that portion and instructed the facility owner to dispose of it.

The facility owner and CP Vietnam’s staff agreed to process both portions of the carcass (one portion bearing two ante-mortem inspection stamps) by boiling and repurposing them as fish feed (in a pond within the slaughterhouse premises). The Sub-Department provided images of the area where the unhygienic carcass portions were handled and the fish pond.

According to Mr. C.’s statement dated June 2nd, he supervised the processing of the two carcass portions in the images but did not create a report documenting the veterinary hygiene status or the process of hygienic disposal. He only signed the CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company’s request for disposal.

The Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine affirmed that Mr. C. failed to fully comply with the ante-mortem inspection procedures and the hygienic disposal process for animals and animal products that did not meet veterinary hygiene requirements as stipulated in the regulations. Mr. C. used the ante-mortem inspection stamp (a rectangular stamp) on the unhygienic carcass portion, failed to document the hygienic disposal process, and did not maintain records of his inspection and supervision of the hygienic disposal process for animal products.

What Caused These Issues?

According to the Sub-Department, several factors contributed to the incident of the veterinary officer’s misuse of stamps and the unhygienic handling of carcass portions.

Firstly, the monitoring of slaughtering activities has not been regular due to a shortage of personnel. The Sub-Department currently has 13 staff members, including three leaders, who are responsible for three significant areas: animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, and fisheries. Only one civil servant is in charge of animal quarantine, ante-mortem inspection, veterinary hygiene inspection, and food safety.

However, the most critical factor was the failure of the veterinary officer on duty on March 26, 2022, to fulfill his assigned responsibilities.

Following the aforementioned complaint, the Sub-Department requested a detailed statement from the leadership of the Livestock, Veterinary, and Fisheries Station of Phung Hiep district and Mr. C. Additionally, the Sub-Department is in the process of collecting relevant documents and evidence to handle the case in accordance with regulations.

On May 30th, a social media post by Jonny Lieu alleged that CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company’s management was involved in selling sick pigs to the market. This incident, which took place at the CP Fresh Shop My Xuyen in My Xuyen town, My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province, is currently under investigation by the Ministry of Public Security, as requested by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

The incriminating images in the accusation were taken at the Dung-Nga livestock slaughterhouse (Long Hoa A1 hamlet, Long Thanh commune, Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province) – a subcontractor for CP Vietnam.

At the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s regular press conference in May, Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine, stated that the stamp on the pig seen on social media was misused. “If a pig is sick, it should be stamped with a round stamp, and if it needs to be destroyed, it should be stamped with a triangular stamp,” she explained. “In the photo of the sick pig from CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company in 2022, a square stamp was used – this is an ante-mortem inspection stamp indicating that the pig is fit for market.” – Ms. Thuy provided this information.