Vietnam’s livestock and feed associations seek revision of animal feed product rules

Proposal: Allow businesses to self-disclose product information

The Vietnam Livestock Association believes that devolving authority to local governments to manage the production, business activities, and quality control of animal feed (TACN) is appropriate.

However, for raw materials and imported feed, the associations propose that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment should retain nationwide management authority to ensure consistency, safety, and prevent regulatory overlaps among provinces.

The associations propose amending the Law on Animal Husbandry as follows:

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will publish a list of traditional feed and single feed ingredients.
• Enterprises will self-disclose information about complete compound feed, concentrated feed, and supplementary feed on the Ministry’s electronic portal.
• Eliminate the requirement for government appraisal of product information disclosure, thereby reducing administrative procedures, saving time, and lowering business costs.
  

Under the proposal, Article 33 of the Law would be revised, and Articles 34, 35, and 36 would be repealed.

Amendments to testing laboratory regulations

Currently, the Law on Animal Husbandry stipulates that the results of animal feed testing for state management purposes are only valid when conducted by laboratories designated by the Ministry.

However, under the revised Law on Standards and Technical Regulations and the revised Law on Product and Goods Quality, animal feed is classified as a medium-risk product, meaning that results from laboratories that are accredited or designated should be recognized.

The associations recommend the following amendment: “Results of animal feed testing used for state management purposes shall be recognized when performed by laboratories that are accredited or designated. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment shall provide detailed guidance on this regulation.”

This adjustment would allow enterprises with ISO 17025-certified laboratories to proactively control product quality, reduce testing costs, and enhance internal quality supervision.

Proposal to remove the shelf-life requirement for ingredients

Another proposed revision concerns the rule requiring that feed ingredients must have a shelf life at least equal to that of the finished product.

According to the associations, this provision is impractical, as different ingredients have different properties and shelf-lives, and a single product may include multiple ingredients.

They propose amending Point c, Clause 2, Article 48 as follows: “Only feed products and ingredients that comply with legal regulations and ensure product quality and safety may be used.”

This revision would maintain food safety standards while allowing greater flexibility for manufacturers.