Determined, no compromises
On the evening of March 16, a reporter from Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper was present at the Thu Duc Animal Quarantine Station (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) at the right time when the interdisciplinary team checked the number of the car with license plate number 60H073 … Poultry from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City.
Although it was declared to ensure the prevention of the epidemic, the driver refused to cooperate with the reason: carrying the company’s goods and enforcing the seal.
After a while with the traffic police, the driver finally agreed to cooperate with the request: to be videotaped as evidence, to report and have a work record.
The cross-sectoral delegation discovered and forced the poultry transport vehicles to visit the quarantine station for inspection according to the regulations. Picture: Le Binh
Not long ago, the Thu Duc animal quarantine station also discovered and enforced the destruction of more than 350 broiler chicken trucks without official inspection certificates. After being unsuccessfully persuaded to let it go, the car owner started yelling, causing trouble and calling more people to the station to pressure and intimidate.
Fortunately, the operational forces quickly showed up to “relieve the siege”, forced to destroy the chicken cart of unknown origin, paying a fine and a destruction fee of more than VND13 million. All the chickens were then duly destroyed, and none of them made it into the city to be eaten.
According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Chi, Head of Animal Quarantine Station Thu Duc: The station inspects and inspects more than 120 means of transport for animals and animal products every day. Contains about 15,000 live birds; 1,000 – 1,500 live pigs; more than 50 tons of poultry meat and more than 60 tons of pork were imported into the city for consumption.
“In 2022, our station uncovered 43 cases of administrative violations in the field of veterinary medicine and fined them VND 170 million; Exhibitions of violations of more than 30 tons of all kinds of products; 2.1 tons of evidence destroyed.
Many subjects, gently asking for bribes, ignored them to the point of making severe threats and causing trouble, but we did not compromise, determined to obey the law and did not allow livestock products into the city,” said Mr. Glaub.
Poor disease control is people’s fault
The Thu Duc animal quarantine station is located at the east gate of the city. Ho Chi Minh City, on the north-south highway corridor, tasked with quarantining animals and animal products at the highway junction, in accordance with the regulations of the Department of Animal Health. This is a quarantine station that plays a big role in controlling the source of epidemics and ensuring animal feed safety before being circulated in the city and provinces in the Mekong Delta.
At present, the entire station has 7 people (including 1 woman) who are arranged in shifts and quarantined 24 hours a day, including weekends, holidays and New Year to do the assigned work.
To prevent influenza A/H5N1, poultry transported into the city are randomly tested for the cycle of the avian influenza virus, of which there are early warnings. Picture: Le Binh
Referring to African swine fever (2019), Mr. Pham Ngoc Chi said that this is the time when you have to do 200% of your capacity. “Because of the heavy workload and heavy responsibility, most of the brothers make the office their home. All station staff are overburdened with work and are constantly checking to identify and trace the source of the disease,” shared Mr Pham Ngoc Chi.
The COVID-19 epidemic hit, TP. Ho Chi Minh City tightened the directives, then the blockade for a long time. People are not allowed to travel to prevent the epidemic, but the situation of trading and transporting livestock products to supply millions of people is still happening. It was also the time when staff at the Thu Duc animal quarantine station struggled not to “translate the epidemic” in the extremely difficult context.
At this time there is information that influenza A/H5N1 is at risk of entering Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is an important trading center, everyone is cautious, gathering information, and continue to put themselves in the most ready and cautious position possible.
“Doing a good job means that I only completed the task, but even if I accidentally ignore the source of the disease and let the epidemic enter the city, I will become a sinner for the people. Therefore, be a little more careful, a little more careful, so that the city can be peaceful and develop “- thought Mr. Chi.
Be continued…