LETTER FROM VIETNAM'S MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000632 SIPDIS STATE PASS TO USTR RON KIRK STATE PASS TO USTR (WEISEL, BISBEE, O'CONNOR) USDA FOR SECRETARY VILSACK USDA FOR US MILLER USDA PASS TO FAS (OA, OSTA, ONA, OCRA, OFSO) USDA PASS TO APHIS USDA PASS TO FSIS HHS/OSSI/DSI PASS TO AND OGHA (JKULIKOWSKI/ACUMMINGS) and FDA (MLVALDEZ/RCAMPBELL/MECKEL) TREASURY FOR OASIA USAID FOR ASIA (MELLIS, DSHARMA, CJENNINGS) AND GH (GSTEELE, DCARROLL) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD WTRO TBIO EAGR PINR SOCI USTR EAID VM SUBJECT: LETTER FROM VIETNAM'S MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT TO USDA SECRETARY VILSACK HANOI 00000632 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) On July 06, 2009, Embassy Hanoi received a letter from Minister Cao Duc Phat of Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding Vietnam's decision on the import of U.S. beef from cattle older than 30 months. In the letter, Minister Phat gave approval for import of U.S. beef from cattle older than 30-months, subject to certain conditions. Minister Phat authorized Vietnam's Department of Animal Health (DAH) to work with USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to fulfill these conditions. ¶2. (U) APHIS was erroneously identified as the USDA agency with jurisdiction over the commercial supply of meat instead of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Embassy Hanoi has notified Vietnam's Department of Animal Health of the error. The conditions for the import of U.S. beef from cattle older than 30 months outlined on the APHIS certificate accompanying Minister Phat's letter are listed in paragraph 4. ¶3. (U) BEGIN TEXT OF LETTER: Hanoi, 29 June, 2009 TO: H.E. Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack United States Department of Agriculture Your Excellency, Following up the discussions on our recent meeting in April 2009 in Washington, DC on the expanding of access for US beef to Vietnamese market, I am very pleased to inform you that from 1 July 2009 our market is opened for the de-boned skeletal muscle meat from cattle over 30 months' age, subject to the fulfillment of technical requirements indicated in the Export Certificate/Animal Products (document attached). In this regard, I have instructed our Department of Animal Health (DAH) to work closely with APHIS to facilitate US exporters meeting the set technical requirements so that de-boned skeletal muscle meat from cattle over 30 months' age can be present in our local markets very soon. Please accept, Excellency, my best regards. Cao Duc Phat Minister Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Socialist Republic of Vietnam END TEXT OF LETTER ¶4. (U) The conditions for the FSIS health certificate are: ¶1. The boneless beef is originated from cattle that were at the time of slaughter over 30 months of age. ¶2. The boneless beef has been derived from cattle which were born and raised in the United States and have remained there since birth; ¶3. The cattle from which the product was derived were not fed ruminant origin meat-and-bone meal or greaves; ¶4. The cattle were not subjected to a stunning process, prior to slaughter, with a device injecting compressed air or gas into the cranial cavity, or to a pithing process; ¶5. The cattle must pass ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, no disease symptom found, were not suspect or confirmed BSE cases and the cattle is fit to slaughter for human consumption; ¶6. The boneless beef was not derived from the following specified risk materials: the brain, skull, eyes, trigeminal ganglia, spinal cord, vertebral column and other bones, dorsal root ganglia, and the tonsils, and distal ileum of the small intestine; HANOI 00000632 002.2 OF 002 ¶7. The boneless beef does not contain residues that maybe of harmful to human being and the contents of organisms do not exceed acceptable limits as required by regulations of the importing country; ¶8. The boneless beef does not include advanced recover beef or mechanically separated beef; ¶9. Packaging materials must not be harmful for human being; all details such as origin/exporting country, ID number of slaughtering and processing facilities, age of cattle must be clearly stated on the cover of the package; ¶10. The boneless beef imported into Vietnam from the United States must meet US standards for beef and meet requirements of Vietnam. END CONDITIONS FOR THE FSIS HEALTH CERTIFICATE Michalak