Vietnam postpones move to impose maximum levels for Salmonella and heavy metals in feed ingredients

03-Jul-2020 - Last updated on 03-Jul-2020 at 09:40 GMT

Related tags Vietnam heavy metals Salmonella Mycotoxins

The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has decided to postpone the implementation of new maximum levels (MLs) for Salmonella and heavy metals in feed ingredients of plant origin for one year, until July 1, 2021, for further review and assessment.

It made the announcement on Tuesday [June 30] this week, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) GAIN report on the topic.

The Vietnamese officials also notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) about the postponement of the regulatory amendment.

In March this year, MARD released a circular, NTR190, referencing maximum allowable levels (MLs) of safety indicators in animal feed and aqua feed ingredients, setting a zero tolerance for Salmonella, Escherichia coli and renewed tolerances for heavy metals, total arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and mycotoxins for all feed ingredients of plant origin imported and domestically produced in the Southeast Asian country.

NTR190 was scheduled to enter into force on July 1, 2020, but the move caused disquiet among Vietnam’s trading partners. They indicated their concern over the regulatory amendment’s potential impact on trade, said the USDA.

Following engagement with those trading partners, Vietnam notified the WTO on June 23, 2020 of its decision to delay the implementation of the legislative action in order to give stakeholders an opportunity to provide comment to the Vietnamese authorities on all new maximum levels in feed and feed ingredients.

The comment period, however, only lasts one month. It is set to close on July 31, 2020.

An amendment of NTR190 is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2021, said the USDA.

The US agency added that it will continue to monitor and provide updates on the amendment of the NTR.