Vietnam’s top pangasius processor and exporter, Vinh Hoan, signed a long-term strategic partnership with Pharmaq on 22 August, aiming to end the use of antibiotics in its pangasius farming.
Pharmaq, based in Overhalla, Norway, specializes in vaccines and health products for the aquaculture sector. The signing took place during the Vietfish Fisheries International Exhibition, which took place 22 to 24 August in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The collaboration involves large-scale vaccination of pangasius with Alpha Ject Panga 2, a Pharmaq vaccine that protects against disease caused by the bacteria Edwardsiella Ictaluri and Aeromonas Hydrophila.
“Our goal is to offer healthy and safe food without environmental and economic trade-offs, and the use of vaccines is essential to reach this objective,” Vinh Hoan CEO Vi Tam said in a press release.
Pharmaq will also provide Vinh Hoan with fish health services, diagnostic testing, and the introduction of new technologies and R&D activities.
Previous cooperation between the two partners for the past five years included using pangasius vaccines at an experimental, and small commercial scale.
The large-scale adoption of vaccines is a major milestone for the Vietnamese pangasius industry. As already proven in salmonid farming, use of efficacious vaccines can reduce or replace the use of antibiotics in treatment of disease, ensure food safety, and improve sustainability and profitability for fish farmers, Vinh Hoan said.
Vietnam exported pangasius worth about USD 1 billion (EUR 862 million) in the first six months of this year, up 21 percent year-on-year. Of the total, Vinh Hoan held the largest share in the period with 15 percent. The company gained 64 percent of its export value in the first half from the United States, followed by 12 percent from China and 11 percent from the European Union.
