The above statistics were published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) at a conference to prevent the illegal import of livestock and poultry and provide solutions for sustainable livestock development.

The MARD organised the conference on October 17 in both live and online formats.

Over the first three nine months of the year, 160,000 live cattle and poultry, nearly 44,000 chicken and duck eggs, and over 116 tonnes of fresh meat were detected when being imported illegally.

The key localities with the worst illegal transport and smuggling rates are Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, Long An, and An Giang.

Vice Chairman of Lang Son People's Committee Luong Trong Quynh said that the northern border province had dealt with many illegal imports of fresh meat and live cattle and poultry so far this year, issuing fines of over VND214 million ($9,000) and destroying tonnes of goods.

"Smugglers have used different means to avoid being caught by the local authorities. For example, they often operate at night through small mountainous paths. Many even attacked our staff after being found and chased," he said.

Vice Director of the Department of Animal Health Phan Quang Minh said that the rise in the illegal import of live animals and meat products posed the risk of spreading disease in the country.

"As local farmers have a high demand for breeding chickens at the end of the year, smugglers transport large numbers from China, posing a greatly increased risk of disease transmission," Minh said.

Minh proposed that the local authorities should implement stricter measures to prevent such illegal imports. He also called for localities nationwide to update themselves on the number of cattle and poultry in their area to allow for better management.

From January to September, acting on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's dispatch to stamp out the illegal importation of animals into Vietnam, the MARD issued 18 official dispatches to the heads of People's Committees, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of National Defence to assist with the prevention of smuggling.

At the same time, the MARD established dozens of working groups and organised conferences to ensure a thorough grasp of disease prevention and control, transportation quarantine, and the necessary steps to combat the smuggling of animals and related products.

The ministry also asked for cooperation from localities and relevant ministries in preventing illegal transport and smuggling of poultry and cattle into Vietnam, especially during the peak New Year season.

It urged cities and provinces nationwide to take drastic measures to promptly discover and prevent the illegal transport, trade, and trafficking of cattle, poultry, and meat products in the country, and to strictly punish violators.

Local administrations are requested to keep a close watch on border gates and the surrounding trails, particularly in northern border provinces, to tighten control.