Traceability of livestock products linked with digital transformation

Since 2019, the former Dong Nai Province has implemented two key projects, including the Livestock Farm Management Project and the Traceability Project for essential animal-based food products in the province. The province has also been a pioneer in effectively deploying traceability initiatives for livestock products to enhance management capacity, control product quality, and meet consumers’ demand for transparency of products throughout the supply chain.

Small-scale livestock households will be supported to participate in the pork traceability chain. In the photo: Pig farm in Phu Vinh Commune. Photo: B.Nguyen

Following the administrative merger, the new Dong Nai Province continues to be the country’s “livestock capital” with a large total herd. The province’s livestock sector is shifting toward large-scale commodity-based industrial production. Accordingly, promoting traceability of pork in particular and of livestock products in general contributes to the goal of digital transformation in livestock and veterinary fields.

Supply chain transparency

For years, unlicensed slaughterhouses have operated within the province. These establishments readily slaughter pigs and chickens of unknown origin, diseased or dead pigs and release the meat into the market for illicit profit. Dong Nai’s implementation of animal product traceability projects aimed at product transparency is therefore essential.

As of the end of June 2025, 1,224 individuals and organizations in the province, including supermarkets, convenience stores, markets, slaughterhouses, traders, farms, collective kitchens in industrial zones… registered to participate in pork traceability and received accounts. Cumulatively as of the end of June 2025, the whole province traced more than 129,700 pigs

To date, nearly 1,900 farms (more than 90% of all farms in the province) have registered on the Livestock and Disease Information Management software (Te-Food). However, in July 2025, only 175 farms (more than 9.2% of registered farms) maintained declarations through the software, including 93 pig farms with a total herd of more than 356,300 pigs; 65 chicken farms with more than 5.7 million chickens; 5 cattle farms with nearly 3,300 cattle; and 12 duck farms with more than 226,000 ducks.

According to Nguyen Truong Giang, Director of the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, the province has many supportive policies for individuals and groups participating in the livestock product traceability chain. Although results are still limited, the projects have established management, identification, and traceability models for livestock products in the province based on information technology applications; strengthened management capacity, quality control, identification, and traceability of livestock products from farming, slaughter, transportation, trading to consumption within the province; contributed to changing consumer awareness in using traceable products daily to protect and improve personal and family health… Through this, it contributes to building brands and enhancing competitiveness for suppliers, businesses, farmers, and traders of livestock products meeting standards.

According to Nguyen Van Thang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, after the merger, the new Dong Nai Province has a large area and a large livestock population. With the complicated development of diseases and a limited number of staff, promoting digital transformation in herd management, disease control, and traceability of livestock products must continue to be strengthened. In the near future, the agriculture sector will continue to promote digital transformation. This will be a favorable condition to effectively implement pork traceability projects in particular and that of livestock and agricultural products in general.

Increasing competitiveness for the “livestock capital”

Dong Nai’s traceability project helps connect traceability data with Ho Chi Minh City’s traceability project, increasing competitiveness for the province’s livestock products when participating in the country’s largest consumer market. One favorable factor in implementing livestock product traceability is attracting diverse individuals and groups, including: farms, slaughterhouses, pig traders, traditional market vendors, convenience stores, supermarkets, and school kitchens…

Among them, the province prioritizes attracting industrial meal providers and collective kitchen contractors to join the linked chain, encouraging the use of traceable livestock and agricultural products to ensure the quality of workers’ meals.

Dr. Dao Ha Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Association and Chairman of Te-food International Company, said: The goal of livestock product traceability is to manage food safety and quality standards to participate in export markets. In the coming phase, to achieve stronger, better, and more effective traceability than before, the root of this issue lies in farm management through the linked chain. In particular, declaring livestock activities, especially accurate data on total herds, is the obligation of livestock farms. Inspection and declaration work must be strengthened, while violation cases such as refusing to declare or making false declarations must be strictly handled according to regulations.

By Binh Nguyen
Translated by Minh Hanh – Thu Ha