HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Official agencies anddistributors in Ho Chi Minh City have dispatched their quality management teamsto major slaughtering facilities and wholesale markets to ensure that 100percent of pork coming to the market is of good quality and without diseases,especially African swine flu (ASF).

Le Viet Bao, head of the city Animal Husbandry and Veterinarysub-Department, said the sub-department took some 60 pork samples from Xuan ThoiThuong (Hoc Mon district), Xuyen A (Cu Chi district) and Vissan (Binh Thanhdistrict) slaughterhouses late at night on June 13 for testing.

It also took 15 samples from Binh Dien wholesale market indistrict 8 and nine from Hoc Mon wholesale market.

HCM City, the country’s largest pork consumer, requiresaround 11,000 pigs a day.

The two wholesale markets of Binh Dien and Hoc Mon accountfor about 7,500 of them.

The city’s supply mostly comes from nearby provinces like DongNai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An, and Ben Tre, mostly in the form ofpigs on the hoof, which are slaughtered at city abattoirs, making it easy forauthorities to monitor for safety.

Le Thi Thu Thuy, Saigon Co.op’s quality management director,said nearly 10 employees of the cooperative were present at 11.15pm at a Vissanslaughterhouse in Binh Thanh district to supervise the closed process fromslaughter of pigs to transport by specialised vehicles to its supermarkets.

"Firstly, we must ensure that 100 percent of pigs beforeslaughter are healthy with light skin, no disease manifestations and rings thatprovide full information about their origin.

“Next, the pigs must be slaughtered in a hygienic productionline. Then the meat quality is checked again before being chilled, sealed andtransported directly to Saigon Co.op’s supermarkets.”

Pham Trung Kien, Deputy General Director of Saigon Co.op,said soon after knowing about the disease outbreak measures had been taken tocarefully monitor the sources of pork.

Besides increasing the frequency of inspections, theco-operative also conducts surprise checks and tests random samples ofpork sold at its supermarkets to ensure only safe meat is sold, according to Kien.

The meat is supplied by leading food companies such asVissan, Nam Phong, Anh Hoang Thy, and SagriFood, and most of their pork meetsVietGAP standards, so customers can consume their pork safely.

Sales at Saigon Co.op’s supermarket systems, which includeCo.opmart, Co.opXTra and Co.op Food supermarkets, average 40-50 tonnes a day onnormal days and slightly more during weekends.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine has saidhealthy and safe pork will have a natural red colour, white fat, elasticity,and no leaking fluids, while disease-infected meat will be sticky and haveabnormal colours such as grey brown or deep red, spots and no elasticity.

As of June 11 African swine flu had occurred in 55 of thecountry’s 63 cities and provinces, including all the major cities. More than2.4 million pigs have been culled.

African swine fever does not spread to humans or poultry thoughit can kill pigs quickly and there is no vaccine available.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung DucTien said localities should have comprehensive measures in place to combat thedisease and establish professional teams to deal with dead animals quickly andsterilise pig farms to avoid the disease’s spread and environmentalpollution.-VNS/VNA