Viet Nam News reports that on Thursday, Norio Kumagai, director general of Japan’s department of animal health (DAH), sent Letter 29/shoouan/1941 to Việt Nam’s DAH, stating that Japan will now accept the import of poultry and processed poultry products from Đồng Nai-based Koyu & Unitek Co. Ltd.

This is the first time that a business has been allowed to export Vietnamese poultry, and that too to Japan, which is known to be one of the most difficult markets in the world.

Phạm Văn Đông, director of Việt Nam’s DAH, told the Nông Nghiệp Viet Nam (Viet Nam agriculture) newspaper that since June 2016, the DAH has been guiding and supporting Koyu & Unitek to come up with a scheme to "build a self-contained production chain for processed poultry to export to the Japanese market." The plan was then submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval.

The DAH collaborated with Koyu & Unitek and drew up a surveillance plan for poultry diseases and food safety, ensuring that the company’s processing plant complies with Japanese standards.

On 29-30 May, Japan’s DAH sent an inspection delegation to Viet Nam to observe and evaluate Koyu & Unitek’s poultry production chain. Soon after, the delegation determined that the poultry meets hygiene requirements for export to the Japanese market.

“After a year of negotiations with Japan and preparations to meet their requirements, Việt Nam has completed all procedures to export poultry and processed poultry products to Japan, a market which has very strict food safety requirements compared to other countries,” Mr Đông said.

The DAH will continue to help Koyu & Unitek register to export poultry to the European Union and other markets, as well as expand its processing plant in the southeast region of Viet Nam.

Enterprises that want to export poultry and poultry products should contact the DAH, which will guide companies on building processing plants with self-contained production chain that can strictly control all stages of production, from breeding to slaughter, to fulfil the requirements of countries importing the products, Đông said. They will have to use advanced technology to meet importers’ requirements on technique, quality and hygiene, he said.