Legal amendments on agriculture and environment to take effect on January 1

Legal amendments on agriculture and environment to take effect on January 1

The law amending and supplementing several provisions concerning administrative procedures and business conditions in the agriculture and environment sector will take effect on January 1, 2027.

Law amending 10 laws concerning agriculture, environment to take effect on January 1. Source: The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment

Lawmakers at the first extraordinary session of the 16^th National Assembly on August 24 passed a law amending and supplementing several provisions of 10 laws concerning administrative procedures and business conditions in the agriculture and environment sector, with 93.4 per cent of participating deputies voting in favour.

The law revises 10 laws, namely the Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine, the Law on Crop Production, the Law on Animal Husbandry, the Law on Animal Health, the Law on Fisheries, the Law on Hydraulic Work, the Law on Dikes, the Law on Water Resources, the Law on Hydrometeorology, and the Law on Geology and Minerals.

The amendments aim to institutionalise Party guidelines on improving institutions, cutting administrative procedures and business conditions, and boosting decentralisation in line with the two-tier local administration model. They also seek to codify government resolutions and prevent legal gaps after March 1, 2027.

The law consists of 12 articles, of which Articles 1 to 10 stipulate amendments and additions to 10 laws; Article 11 stipulates the implementing provisions and Article 12 stipulates transitional provisions.

In terms of content, the law combines amendments and additions to eight laws to reduce 40 administrative procedures, simplify 12 administrative procedures, and cut 40 business conditions. At the same time, it amends and supplements four laws to decentralise the authority to implement 24 administrative procedures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to the chairmen of people's committees of localities.

In addition, the law also amends and supplements several related provisions to ensure the consistency and uniformity of the legal system and to avoid creating new policies.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung said, “The revisions focus on codifying government resolutions and address administrative procedures and business conditions without introducing new policies, in line with the conclusion of the NA Standing Committee. The government will direct relevant agencies to review implementation, assess impacts and consult stakeholders to propose comprehensive amendments to several laws in the future.”

VIR