Vietnam clarifies ruminant DNA testing for imported animal bone meals to prevent mad cow disease

The clarification follows an exchange of correspondence, in which the embassies of Australia, Brazil, Italy, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, and the U.S. in Vietnam raised concerns over provisions in the ministry’s Circular No. 01/2026 on quarantine regulations for terrestrial animals and animal products.

According to the Foreign Agricultural Service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Circular 01 introduces a more risk-based and streamlined inspection regime, while adding targeted control measures, most notably ruminant DNA testing requirements for animal protein meals, to strengthen animal health oversight.

In response, the ministry said that the testing is a disease control measure to prevent mad cow disease.

The measure aims to ensure that imported products, including animal bone meal used in feed production, comply with veterinary certification requirements in exporting countries, particularly declarations that they do not contain materials derived from ruminant animals.

It is based on risk management principles and aligns with recommendations in the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH)’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code on BSE Prevention.

The approach is also consistent with international practices applied in many jurisdictions, including the European Union, Australia, and the U.S., to control the risk of cross-contamination of animal proteins in feed production chains.

The ministry said it applies real-time PCR testing, developed with reference to protocols from the EU Reference Laboratory for animal protein in feed.

When a positive result is detected, follow-up tests using equivalent methods are performed to verify the result before any final conclusion is reached.

The procedure is intended to ensure reliability and objectivity, in line with practices used in the EU and feed safety control programs implemented in Australia and the U.S. under BSE prevention frameworks.

The ministry emphasized that recent inspection results show the necessity of such testing, noting that since the beginning of the year, Vietnamese quarantine authorities have detected and handled 21 shipments contaminated with ruminant DNA from eight exporting countries.

The shipments even involved countries with advanced control systems and WOAH-recognized negligible BSE risk status, highlighting risks of cross-contamination across production, storage, and transportation chains.

The ministry said this underscores the need for appropriate risk management measures across the supply chain.

It also affirmed that the regulation is not intended to create unnecessary trade barriers and is applied in line with the principles of non-discrimination in international trade, including most-favored-nation and national treatment principles.

The ministry noted that before issuing Circular 01, it had notified World Trade Organization members and collected comments over a 60-day consultation period, in line with the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.

The circular also significantly reduces inspection frequency, particularly for countries and territories recognized by the WOAH as posing a negligible risk for BSE.

For such countries and territories, Vietnamese quarantine authorities will now randomly test one in every five consignments.

Enhanced inspections will be applied only when violations are detected, based on a risk-based approach and compliance history, consistent with systems used in the EU, the U.S., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.