US Accused of Dumping Chicken in Viet Nam
VIET NAM - Poultry producers are considering action against the US for alleged dumping of chicken parts, according to local reports.On July 28, the livestock associations of Dong Nai Province and the south east of Viet Nam submitted documents to call for an investigation into the dumping, reported Báomói.com.
The documents were sent to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The two associations also asked for an audit of quality and origin of the chicken products imported from the US. The organisations recently sent representatives to the US to research chicken prices.
According to their findings, a kilo of chicken legs costs VND80,000 ($3.80) in the US, while the price is only VND20,000 (around $1) in Vietnam. A chicken is sold at VND200,000 ($9.52), but it is just VND60,000 ($2.85) in Vietnam.
The price disparity has also raised doubts about the quality of US-imported chicken products being sold in Vietnam.
The two associations will also research the production costs of these products in the US and legal consultancy for suing the US side.
The associations said that Vietnam has increased the import of frozen meat products over the past two years, particularly from the US.
In the first six months of this year, Vietnam imported roughly 50,000 tonnes of frozen meat products, up 20 per cent on-year, while the figure was 80,000 tonnes in 2014.
During the two-year period, prices of frozen meat products sold in Vietnam have continuously fallen. Two years ago, a kilo of US-imported chicken legs was priced at $1.20 to $2.50, but now, the price has dropped 60 to 80 US cents.