Vietnam becomes the United Kingdom's leading ASEAN agricultural partner

MARD Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien met with Ms. Victoria Prentis on May 25 at the premise of the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom to promote cooperation in the field of agriculture and rural development in alignment with the strategic partnership between the two countries

During his official working visit to the United Kingdom, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien met with Ms. Victoria Prentis, Minister of State in the United Kingdom's Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Ms. Victoria Prentis stated at the meeting that the United Kingdom awaited the reception and highly valued the visit of MARD Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien and his delegation.

She emphasized the significance of agriculture and rural development cooperation between Vietnam and the United Kingdom, as well as the UK government's strategy to put Vietnam as its the most important partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

The agricultural cooperation between the two nations, which has been encouraged by the two governments, two ministries, and the embassies, has made considerable strides, laying the groundwork for future cooperation and development. Especially since the Vietnam - United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) went into effect, agro-forestry-fishery product trade between the two nations has increased along with turnover.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien informed and proposed specific cooperation with the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. Notably, he requested that the United Kingdom support Vietnam's agriculture industry with programs and projects to produce sustainable landscapes, protect biodiversity, and promote forestry growth in order to meet global commitments to deal with climate change at COP26.

He urged the United Kingdom to commit resources to implement solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture sector (plant restructure, innovating cultivation methods toward low-emission, reducing food waste, utilizing agricultural byproducts; enhancing the quality of land and mangrove forests to increase emission absorption capacity, among others).

The United Kingdom is asked to assist Vietnam in establishing and operating online data on measurement, reporting, and evaluation of greenhouse gas emission reduction and greenhouse gas inventory in the agricultural sector, as well as research on mitigating the effects of climate change and smart agriculture.

Cooperation to facilitate market opening

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien stated that the agro-forestry-fishery products of the two nations complement each other rather than directly competing. Consequently, he proposed that the United Kingdom open its market to Vietnamese mango, passion fruit, pomelo, lychee, and longan in the near future.

To increase the trade of livestock products, the leader of MARD suggested that the UK provide requirements on veterinary hygiene and food safety in order for Vietnam to enter the UK market with processed pork products, processed poultry meat, and poultry eggs of all types (fresh, processed), and milk and dairy products.

Vietnam expects to collaborate with the United Kingdom on improving animal welfare, assisting the Vietnamese livestock industry to improve animal welfare in accordance with Vietnamese law and international rules.

Therefore, improving the quality and competitiveness of cattle products produced in Vietnam. The development of animal welfare also helps the growth of Vietnam's exports of products of animal origin to other countries. 

To meet all criteria for animal welfare and sustainable development, the Deputy Minister suggested that the United Kingdom share experience, research, enhance capacity, communication, and common knowledge on animal welfare; establish a mechanism and policies for livestock products based on biosafety, adopt technological advances, update and adjust guidelines, management documents, and legal framework for the livestock sector, among other things.

Ms. Victoria Prentis agreed with the aforementioned ideas and evaluated the dossiers submitted by Vietnam in order of priority to promote market access.

Ms. Victoria Prentis requested that Vietnam consider allowing the UK's pork and poultry meat products to enter its market. The UK side pledged to actively advocate Vietnam's efforts to promote animal welfare and restructure its agriculture on a green, low-carbon, and sustainable path. This year, for the first time, the United Kingdom will send its Agriculture and Food Counselor to Hanoi in an effort to foster agricultural cooperation with Vietnam.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien and Ms. Victoria Prentis agreed to the exchange of high-ranking delegations between the two ministries and tasked the relevant agencies with developing detailed plans to promote cooperation between the two Ministries and maximize the strengths of both nations.