The Directive on strengthening management and ensuring food hygiene and safety in the production and trading of aquatic products for domestic consumption and export

On 13/9/2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued the Directive No. 6433/CT-BNN-CCPT on strengthening management and ensuring food hygiene and safety in the production and trading of aquatic products for domestic consumption and export.

Accordingly, in order to urgently fix errors in the control system and continue to maintain Vietnam's reputation for quality and safety of aquatic food, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development requested the Chairman of the People's Committee of the province/centrally-run city to direct the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement a number of contents, specifically as follows:

- To review and advise the Provincial/City People's Committee to improve the organization, apparatus, assignment, and decentralization of food safety management tasks in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fishery in general and fishery in particular in the province according to regulations in the Circular No. 38/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 25, 2018, the Circular No. 32/2022/TTBNNPTNT dated December 30, 2022 and the Circular No. 17/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 31, 2018 to ensure nationwide uniformity; take responsibility for reporting the content related to assigned field, decentralized management according to current law.

- To direct affiliated units to strictly manage establishments subject to the issuance of certificates for establishments meeting conditions to ensure food safety, seriously implement appraisal, evaluation, and issuance of certificates for establishments meeting food safety; develop a plan to periodically inspect and monitor food safety conditions according to the provisions of the Circular No. 38/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 25, 2018, the Circular No. 32/2022/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 30, 2022; advise the Provincial/City People's Committee to direct the units assigned to manage production and business establishments not subject to food safety certification in the province to statistically update the list (the fishing vessels with a length of under 15m, small aquaculture facilities,...), promote the signing of commitments to ensure food safety, and check the implementation of commitments according to the provisions of the Circular No. 17/2018/TTBNNPTNT.

- To strengthen inspection, examination and handling of responsibilities in the implementation of laws on food safety management of agriculture, forestry and fishery for affiliated agencies and units, especially for performing state management tasks on aquaculture, exploitation, purchasing and preliminary processing of aquatic products.

- To organize verification, traceability and strictly handle food safety violations in accordance with the law (including applying measures to suspend operations and revoke the rights to use licenses, publicize violations...), immediately deploy measures to prevent and handle violations when the facility is identified using banned chemicals and antibiotics; organizations and individuals buying and selling veterinary drugs and chemicals banned from use.

- To pay attention to and focus on training, fostering to improve the qualifications of civil servants, public employees, and food safety inspectors in the locality, regularly organize inspection activities, assess the capacity and quality of work of this team to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of food safety management in agriculture, forestry and fishery in general and aquaculture in particular.

- To proactively coordinate with local Police and Border Guard forces to collect information, investigate, verify and destroy production and trading lines of banned chemicals and antibiotics in agricultural production.

- To strengthen training, propaganda, and guidance for seed production facilities and aquaculture facilities to meet food safety conditions and register with competent agencies to inspect and issue certificates for facility meeting food safety.

- To create a channel to receive and handle reports about food safety violations in seafood production and business, trading of aquatic veterinary drugs and banned chemicals.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development assigns specific tasks to agencies and units under the Ministry, seafood processing and export enterprises and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.