Food giant C.P. Vietnam’s 'diseased' pigs improperly quarantine-stamped: authorities

The widely circulated images of diseased pigs from C.P. Vietnam, a subsidiary of Thailand’s food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), date back to 2022, but the pigs were improperly stamped, Vietnamese authorities stated on Tuesday.

Nguyen Thu Thuy, deputy director of the department of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine at Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, made the statement at a press meeting.

She explained that pigs with skin disease designated for repurposing must bear a circular stamp, while those slated for destruction received a triangular stamp. The square seal is reserved exclusively for products approved for market circulation.

Earlier, social media has circulated a complaint from a 40-year-old man in My Xuyen town, My Xuyen district, the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, accusing C.P. Vietnam of selling diseased pork and chicken.

The man said he previously worked at C.P. Vietnam, handling pork processing. During his time at a C.P. Fresh Shop in My Xuyen, he uncovered serious violations committed by the company’s leadership.

According to the man, diseased pigs and chickens, often giving off a foul odor, were routinely mixed in and delivered to the Fresh Shop, where staff were instructed to sell them in the Soc Trang market.

“The diseased pork and chicken pieces looked terrible - covered with bumps, sores, abscesses, pus, and some were chopped into fragments, emitting a foul odor and swarming with flies, yet they were still sent to the store for sale.

"Company management even instructed staff to sell these pieces at half price to locals for making sausages. Recognizing the complexity of the issue and its potential long-term impact on public health, I decided to file a formal complaint,” the man wrote.

To bolster credibility, apart from his address, the man included his phone number, photos of diseased pigs, and screenshots of message exchanges related to the case in his complaint.

In these photos, C.P. Vietnam’s pigs with skin disease were stamped with square seals.

At the Tuesday press meet, Thuy said authorities have requested C.P. Vietnam to report after images surfaced on social media showing diseased pigs entering food stores within the company’s system.

Verification revealed the photos were taken on March 26, 2022, at Dung Nga slaughterhouse in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, a processing facility for C.P. Vietnam.

According to Thuy, at the time, the facility sought heat treatment approval to repurpose the pigs as aquatic feed, in line with regulations. However, the facility’s records lacked the required treatment documentation, prompting the department to request additional paperwork.

In response to the violation, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien demanded a thorough probe to identify those responsible for the incorrect stamping, emphasizing that the ministry will pursue full accountability.

Noting the ongoing African swine fever outbreak in 2022, Tien said feeding diseased pigs to fish - even after heat treatment - is wrong, as disease control plans clearly required pigs showing symptoms to be treated with lime, chemicals, or incineration.

On Monday, a multi-agency team in Hau Giang province inspected two slaughterhouses - Nguyen Dan and Dung Nga - in Long Thanh commune, Phung Hiep district.

A representative from Dung Nga confirmed the images of diseased pigs were taken by staff for internal reporting to the company, not for distribution purposes. C.P. Vietnam also confirmed that 72.7 kilograms of skin-diseased pork were destroyed on-site, with an official record filed.

Regarding the quarantine stamp seen on the diseased pigs, a company representative said the same day that it has followed proper procedures and is working with authorities to clarify the matter.

Last Friday, an inter-agency task force in Soc Trang province also conducted a surprise inspection of a C.P. Fresh Shop outlet in My Xuyen town.

At the time of inspection, no expired goods or diseased pork or chicken products were found. However, the store’s food safety certification had expired in March 2025, and it failed to present the original business registration certificate and proof of food safety training.

C.P. Vietnam has dismissed the social media allegations of selling diseased pork, calling them fabricated and false.

The claims were intended to defame and damage the company, it said in a formal statement, urging stakeholders to stay calm and take a balanced, discerning view of the available information.

The company said it is working closely with authorities to clarify and address the issue in line with the law, protecting its legal rights and ensuring strict measures against defamatory and fabricated claims.

Established in 1993, C.P. Vietnam currently operates nine feed production plants in Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Tien Giang, Can Tho and Ben Tre in southern Vietnam, Dak Lak in the Central Highlands, and Hanoi and Hai Duong province in the north.

Its product range covers livestock feed for pigs, beef cattle, and dairy cattle; poultry feed for broilers, layers, ducks, and quail; and aquaculture feed for shrimp and fish. C.P. also runs three food and seafood processing plants in Dong Nai and Hanoi.

Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF), the parent of C.P. Vietnam, earned a revenue of THB122 billion ($3.62 billion) in Vietnam in 2024, up 5% year-on-year.

According to the firm’s performance review for 2024, the revenue in Vietnam accounted for 21% of CPF’s total revenue, or the second-biggest portion. Thailand, its domestic market, made up 37% of the total, or the biggest portion. The third rank belonged to China with 6%.