Denmark, Vietnam collaborate to improve food safety
Denmark, Vietnam collaborate to improve food safety
The Danish Embassy in Vietnam today, December 3, signed two agreements with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in support of Vietnam’s efforts to improve food safety.
Specifically, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien and Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen signed an arrangement to support the sustainable growth of Vietnam’s pork value chains. The arrangement marks the start of the three-year second phase of the cooperation on food safety between the Vietnamese and Danish governments, focusing on improving food safety in pork value chains.
The second phase will focus on feed and veterinary drug management as well as animal husbandry practices.
On the same day, deputy minister Tien and Robert Leo Skov, scientific director of the International Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) 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, Vietnam will become one of the first countries to cooperate with ICARS.
At the signing ceremony, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Christensen said food safety directly relates to good health and a happy life and affects the prices of products in the market. Denmark always sees food safety as one of its top priorities.
“The two signed documents are very important for Vietnam and Denmark to continue their strong cooperation, supporting Vietnam in improving its food safety. Accordingly, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and ICARS will work closely with their Vietnamese counterpart agencies in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and exchange and share with them Danish expertise, experiences and knowledge gained after many years of research and practice in this area,” the ambassador added.
Since 2015, Vietnam and Denmark have engaged in strategic cooperation in health, education and food safety to promote sustainable and responsible growth, jobs and prosperity in Vietnam.
