Vietnamese enterprises have shipped over 68 tonnes of frozen pork to Hong Kong as of the end of November, according to figures released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Throughout the year, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been active in providing relevant documents to the Food and Environmental Hygiene of Hong Kong in a bid to assess the food safety and hygiene conditions of Vietnamese frozen pork.

Moreover, a working delegation has also been dispatched by the Department of Animal Health to Hong Kong to work closely with municipal authorities.

During the working sessions, the Department of Animal Health stated that despite the recent African swine fever epidemic in Vietnam, the country has undergone drastic measures in an attempt to combat the disease.

As a result of the discussions and negotiation process, the Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene of Hong Kong issued a letter granting approval for Vietnamese frozen pork to be imported from September 30.

As a result, the first batch of domestic frozen pork was successfully exported to the Hong Kong market in October, with local firms shipping over 68 tonnes of frozen pork to the city as of the end of November.

Aside from Hong Kong, Vietnamese businesses have also exported frozen meat from suckling pigs to Malaysia.

According to a report compiled by the Department of Animal Health, the number of culled pigs as a result of African swine fever during December is at an estimated figure of 40,000.

Indeed, the total number of culled pigs due to the epidemic since the beginning of the year is currently at over 5.9 million, weighing approximately 342,000 tonnes and accounting for 9 per cent of the nation’s total pig weight.