Vietnam urged to strengthen animal welfare laws

• Poultry population (2025): nearly 585 million birds
• Output: 2.6 million tons of poultry meat and 21.4 billion eggs, with further growth projected in 2026
• Commercial production: Large-scale farms account for 56-58% of total output

The growth in large-scale production creates opportunities to apply welfare standards, but laws remain focused on disease control and food safety. Current regulations do not recognize animals as sentient beings with behavioral needs.

Existing regulations do not fully recognize animals as sentient beings with natural behavioral needs.

As a result, Vietnam received a G rating—the lowest score—for farm animal protection in the World Animal Protection (WAP) assessment. Shortcomings include:

• Long-distance transport of live animals remains permitted.
• No species-specific standards for pre-slaughter stunning.
• Ban on slaughtering animals in front of others is difficult to enforce in small facilities.

Protection gaps extend beyond farm animals

Experts also noted that legal protection remains limited for other categories of animals.

Companion animals: Rules focus mainly on rabies prevention and stray dog management. Vietnam lacks a humane population control system, while the dog meat trade remains legal in many regions.

Entertainment animals: No comprehensive rules govern working hours, workloads, or welfare conditions for animals in circuses, racing, tourism, or similar activities.

Laboratory animals: Vietnam has yet to fully adopt the internationally recognized 3Rs Principle:

• Replacement: use alternatives to animal testing
• Reduction: minimize animal use
• Refinement: improve procedures to reduce pain and distress

Moving closer to international standards

Improving Vietnam’s API ranking is not only a welfare issue but also a market requirement. Access to global supply chains increasingly depends on compliance with animal welfare standards.

Experts recommend incorporating the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards into domestic law, guided by the Five Freedoms framework.

Meanwhile, the VFAEA has introduced voluntary Minimum Welfare Standards for Laying Hens, covering:

• Feed and water: Adequate nutrition according to growth stage, continuous access to clean water, and sufficient feeder space
• Housing environment: Minimum stocking density of 0.14 m² per laying hen (equivalent to seven hens per square meter), with adequate nesting boxes, perches, and litter
• Housing conditions: Strict control of lighting, ventilation, temperature, and ammonia (NH₃) levels
• Health management: Routine health monitoring and proper use of veterinary medicines
• Humane treatment: Humane euthanasia procedures for severely ill or injured birds

The transition toward responsible and welfare-oriented livestock production is no longer just an animal welfare issue, it is becoming essential for Vietnam’s competitiveness in international markets.