Officials advance veterinary cooperation, market access and disease-control initiatives to strengthen bilateral agricultural ties
Vietnam and Argentina are stepping up efforts to deepen agricultural cooperation, with both countries working to streamline animal quarantine procedures, expand market access for livestock products and strengthen collaboration on animal disease prevention.
The discussions took place during a high-level meeting between Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri and Argentine Ambassador Marcos Antonio Bednarski, where officials reviewed progress on veterinary certification, livestock trade and technical cooperation.
A key focus of the talks was the modernization of animal health certification requirements governing Argentine livestock exports to Vietnam. According to Vietnamese authorities, four of the seven proposed amendments to animal quarantine certificate templates submitted by Argentina have already received approval. The remaining proposals—covering milk and dairy ingredients used in animal feed, as well as meat and heat-processed meat products—are currently undergoing regulatory review.
Vietnam has also continued expanding access for Argentine producers. Deputy Minister Tri noted that nearly 300 Argentine production and processing facilities have already been approved to export animal-origin and seafood products to the Vietnamese market. Authorities pledged to continue reviewing applications from additional companies that meet the country’s sanitary and regulatory standards.
Ambassador Bednarski welcomed the constructive dialogue between the two governments, emphasizing that continued technical engagement would help address longstanding regulatory bottlenecks and facilitate smoother agricultural trade flows between the two nations.
The meeting also highlighted opportunities for broader veterinary collaboration. Argentina proposed the development of a formal cooperation framework on the prevention and control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) between Argentina’s National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA) and Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health.
Vietnam expressed support for the initiative and proposed exploring the establishment of a regional vaccine manufacturing facility in Vietnam to serve Southeast Asian markets. Such a project could strengthen regional preparedness against transboundary livestock diseases while expanding cooperation in animal health technologies.
Under the proposed framework, both countries would collaborate on technical training, expert exchanges and capacity-building programs covering disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, laboratory testing, genetic sequencing, risk assessment, vaccination strategies, animal transport controls and the development of disease-free zones.
Officials also discussed sharing expertise on maintaining internationally recognized FMD-free areas, strengthening monitoring systems and implementing risk-management measures across livestock production, processing and export supply chains.
Deputy Minister Tri described Argentina as a strategic agricultural partner and reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to expanding technical cooperation in livestock and veterinary affairs. Both sides agreed to increase transparency in sanitary and phytosanitary procedures while accelerating efforts to remove technical barriers that hinder trade.
The latest discussions underscore a broader push by both governments to build a more integrated and resilient agricultural partnership, with a particular focus on safe livestock trade, disease control and long-term market development.
