Two significant documents related to the Danish support to improve food safety in Vietnam were signed at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on December 3.

MARD Vice Minister Phung Duc Tien and the Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen signed an arrangement to support the sustainable growth and development of the Vietnamese pork value chain.

At the signing ceremony. Photo: Embassy of Denmark

The arrangement marks the commencement of a three-year phase 2 of the Vietnamese Danish government-to-government cooperation on food safety with focus on improving food safety in the pork value chain. 

Specifically, phase 2 of the Strategic Sector Cooperation in the pork value chain will focus on feed management, veterinary drug management, good animal husbandry practices and capacity building related to risk-based food and feed safety management. 

Besides, the vice minister of MARD and Scientific Director of the International Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) Robert Leo Skov signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MARD and ICARS on the establishment of a partnership on mitigating antimicrobial use and resistance in livestock and aquaculture.

Antimicrobial resistance has become one of the greatest threats to health, society, and economies worldwide. With the signed MoU between MARD and ICARS, Vietnam will be one of the first countries to engage in a cooperation with ICARS establishing pilot projects on mitigating antimicrobial resistance in the livestock and aquaculture sector. 

“Food safety directly relates to one’s good health and happy living. It also affects prices of products in the market. Denmark has a long history of putting food safety high on the agenda,” said the ambassador. 

“The two documents we are signing today are very important instruments for Vietnam and Denmark to continue our good cooperation in supporting Vietnam to improve food safety,” Kim Højlund Christensen added.

He stressed that the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the International Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions will work closely with their Vietnamese counterpart agencies in MARD, exchange and share with them Danish expertise, experiences and knowledge gained after many years of research and practices in this area. 

Since 2015, Vietnam and Denmark has engaged in Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) within health, education and food safety with the purpose of promoting sustainable and responsible growth, jobs and prosperity in Vietnam.

Within the SSC framework, the Danish public authorities have established a partnership where they can support their Vietnamese partner ministries with expertise and facilitate transfer of Danish know-how and experiences relevant to local priority issues, local conditions and needs.