VietNamNet Bridge – The number of illegal poultry trading spots in HCM City has decreased sharply following raids by city authorities over the last month.

Smuggling chickens are confiscated at a check point in the city.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, it dropped from 79 in early April to 48 in late June.

The remaining spots are mostly in rural districts, it said.

They include five or six on Binh Long Road between Tan Phu and Binh Tan, some near Truong Dai Bridge between Districts 12 and Go Vap, and near Sa Bridge between Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon.

But the sale of backyard poultry meat and eggs without quarantine remains widespread in traditional markets, especially in suburban and rural areas.

To improve oversight of live poultry trading, the department has petitioned the city government to step up inspection and throw the book at those who sell poultry products without origin.

Chairpersons of districts are now responsible for preventing illegal trading of live poultry in their area.

According to the department, the city consumes 120,000 to 130,000 fowls every day, half of which come from neighbouring provinces like Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An, and Ba Ria- Vung Tau.

In the first half of the year, joint teams from city and district agencies discovered 3,807 cases of illegal poultry trading involving nearly 29,000 fowls and over 18,000 birds of other kinds and nearly 568,000 eggs.

Source: VNS