Directive No. 36/2008/CT-BNN on Strengthening Environmental Protection Activities in Agriculture and Rural Development

DIRECTIVE

On Strengthening Environmental Protection Activities

in Agriculture and Rural Development

_______________________

In recent times, agricultural production activities and rural development have achieved high effectiveness, contributing to increasing income and living standards for farmers and reducing poverty in many localities. During this process, many environmental protection tasks have been given due attention, making significant contributions to protecting the ecological environment nationwide, especially in the field of forest protection and development. However, in many places, environmental protection work in agricultural production and in rural areas has not been adequately emphasized: most strategies, plans, and sectoral economic development programs lack strategic environmental assessment reports; fertilizer and plant protection chemical usage does not comply with technical guidelines; unregulated aquaculture development without planning has led to serious environmental pollution in some areas; many provinces lack centralized livestock and poultry breeding area planning, lacking waste collection and treatment systems; many craft villages continue to develop based on traditional and outdated technology; there is no movement to collect and treat rural waste. These shortcomings have caused soil, water, and air pollution, adversely affecting economic development and public health.

To effectively implement the policy of restructuring the agricultural economy and sustainable agricultural and rural development, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the heads of relevant units under the Ministry, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, and provincial-level state management agencies for agriculture and rural development to direct the implementation of the following tasks:

I. BASIC TASKS

1. Environmental protection work must be integrated and specifically reflected in all production and business activities of the industry; strategic environmental assessments must be prepared for all development strategies, plans, and programs within the agricultural and rural development sectors and approved by the Ministry; regular and continuous inspections of compliance with commitments made in environmental impact assessments of investment projects managed by the Ministry must be conducted.

2. Emphasize preventive measures and enhance the capacity to control pollution during production processes; identify and manage waste at the source of emission; complete monitoring network planning, improve monitoring capabilities, and establish early warning systems for environmental conditions in various production fields.

3. Promote scientific research, transfer, and application of environmentally friendly technologies and waste treatment technologies; encourage the reuse of waste through natural ecosystems or biotechnology; strengthen biosafety management of genetically modified animals and plants and biodiversity conservation.

4. Increase resources and promote socialization of environmental protection activities; study the establishment of environmental protection funds in production fields; develop mechanisms and policies to support capital and encourage organizations and individuals to invest in environmental protection, and policies for payment for environmental services.

5. Rural environmental protection: strengthen planning and management of environmental conditions in the development of craft villages, agro-forestry processing clusters, and centralized livestock farms; study and build policies to support rural solid waste collection services, and develop and expand models of socialized waste management in rural areas.

6. Propaganda and education to raise awareness about environmental protection: widely disseminate and deeply understand Resolution No. 41/NQ-TW dated November 15, 2004 of the Politburo, government action programs, Party and Government policies, and state laws on environmental protection to agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in agricultural and rural development activities; integrate environmental protection propaganda programs into community development activities; diversify forms of environmental protection propaganda activities.

II. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

1. Relevant agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Relevant agencies under the Ministry shall organize specialized departments or assign staff to monitor environmental protection activities related to their professional operations.

a) The Department of Science, Technology, and Environment shall take the lead and coordinate with other units to organize:

- Review strategic environmental assessment reports; supervise and inspect the implementation of commitments in strategic environmental assessments and environmental impact assessments of approved projects;

- Organize training and guide environmental protection professionals from agencies under the Ministry;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for approval a proposal to enhance environmental protection capacity in agriculture and rural development;

- Propose the establishment of an environmental monitoring and disease warning system to serve agricultural, forestry, and aquaculture production;

- Propose the content of investigations and evaluations of the current status of natural resources and the environment in river mouths, coastal areas, and severely degraded ecosystems;

- Propose the application of new resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies to address environmental pollution in various production fields;

- Monitor, supervise, and promptly evaluate the implementation of annual environmental protection targets and plans.

b) The Livestock Service:

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for approval an action plan for environmental protection in livestock farming;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance criteria for centralized livestock breeding, slaughter, and processing areas that ensure environmental hygiene; promote the practice of integrated livestock management systems with waste treatment systems; encourage farmers to adopt good livestock practices.

- Review, develop, submit to the Ministry for issuance and provide guidance on implementing technical standards and regulatory documents aimed at preventing and reducing environmental pollution according to assigned functions and tasks.

c) The Animal Health Service:

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for approval an action plan for environmental protection in the field of animal health;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance criteria for veterinary hygiene for centralized livestock slaughterhouses, animal disease diagnosis, veterinary drug production and testing, and related areas to ensure environmental hygiene;

- Review, develop, submit to the Ministry for issuance and provide guidance on implementing technical standards and regulatory documents aimed at preventing and reducing environmental pollution according to assigned functions and tasks.

d) The Crop Production Service:

- Strengthen inspection work on compliance with laws governing fertilizer production and business; organize extensive propaganda on rational fertilizer use;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance regulations ensuring safe agricultural product production, and biological safety management procedures for genetically modified plants;

- Vigorously implement regulations ensuring food safety in agricultural product production.

đ) The Plant Protection Service:

- Strengthen inspections and checks on compliance with laws governing the production, business, and use of plant protection chemicals;

- Organize training and propaganda on the rational, safe, and effective use of plant protection chemicals without causing environmental pollution;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance regulations on the use of plant protection chemicals to ensure safe agricultural products and prevent environmental pollution;

- Guide the collection and disposal of plant protection chemical packaging after use; regularly investigate, compile statistics, and propose handling measures for plant protection chemicals that need to be destroyed.

e) The Water Resources Service:

- Enhance water quality management capacity and control of water pollution in irrigation systems;

- Supplement and complete the water quality monitoring and warning system in irrigation systems;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance regulations on wastewater discharge into irrigation systems.

g) The Dike Management and Flood and Storm Prevention Service:

- Enhance the capacity of the early warning and emergency response system for natural disasters, and post-flood and storm environmental remediation.

h) The Forest Protection Service:

- Enhance the capacity of the forest fire early warning system;

- Strengthen efforts against illegal logging and deforestation;

- Strengthen activities supporting highland residents in sustainable agriculture and forestry practices on shifting cultivation land;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for approval plans for the stable zoning of special-use forests;

- Submit to the Ministry for revision and supplementation of regulations on the management of rare wild animals and plants.

i) The Forestry Service:

- Annually organize inspections, evaluations, and report to the Ministry on the implementation of environmental indicators: total area of planted forests, forest enclosure and recovery, forest cover;

- Supplement and complete policies encouraging organizations and individuals to invest in forest planting and community forest management, and submit these policies to the Ministry for issuance;

- Direct the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the National Action Program to Combat Desertification, guiding the development and implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) programs/projects in forestry;

- Inspect and supervise the implementation of sustainable forest management and utilization plans; direct and guide forest certification activities.

k) The Processing, Trade, Aquaculture, and Salt Industry Service:

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for approval an action plan for protecting the environment in craft villages;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance technical standards for waste allowed to be discharged into the environment from craft villages;

Organize pilot models for developing rural industries combined with environmental pollution prevention.

l) The Aquaculture Service:

- Guide provincial authorities responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development to organize the planning of concentrated aquaculture zones to ensure environmental hygiene;

- Develop and submit to the Ministry for issuance a list of biological preparations permitted for use in aquaculture.

m) The Fisheries Resource Exploitation and Conservation Service:

- Complete and submit to the Ministry for approval a project to protect endangered aquatic species.

n) The Cooperative Economy and Rural Development Service:

- Integrate environmental protection into the development of cooperative and farmstead economic plans and projects in agriculture and rural areas; incorporate them into programs and projects on population resettlement planning and relocation in agriculture and rural areas;

- Lead and coordinate with schools and relevant units to integrate environmental protection content into training programs and organize training sessions for rural development staff.

o) The National Center for Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation:

- Coordinate with localities to review, supplement, and adjust rural water supply and sanitation planning to align with local socio-economic development plans;

- Strengthen propaganda to raise awareness and make clean water use, hygienic latrines, and environmental sanitation a regular habit for all residents;

- Propose the application of new typical technologies for domestic sewage, craft village wastewater, and rural solid waste treatment; models for water supply and sanitation suitable for different regions to protect the environment.

p) The National Agricultural Extension and Fisheries Promotion Center:

- Collaborate with research institutes to transfer technological advancements and build environmentally friendly agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production models;

- Incorporate environmental protection content into training and technology transfer programs in crop production, animal husbandry, exploitation, processing, and aquaculture.

q) Institutes and Schools under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

According to assigned functions, intensify training and scientific research on environmental protection in fields within the agriculture and rural development sector.

r) The Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, the Information and Statistics Center, and the Rural Development Magazine shall be responsible for promoting awareness and environmental protection in agriculture and rural areas; intensifying the promotion of good models and effective methods that ensure environmental hygiene in agricultural production and processing.

2. Provincial People's Committees: direct provincial-level People's Committees and relevant sectors within the province:

- Accelerate the planning for the development of rural industries, centralized livestock breeding and slaughtering zones with waste collection and treatment systems; gradually relocate production facilities causing pollution out of residential areas;

- Coastal provinces with aquaculture areas must have comprehensive plans for aquaculture development with separate water supply and wastewater discharge systems;

- Vigorously mobilize and persuade communities to organize clean and beautiful village movements; organize waste collection and treatment; strictly implement environmental hygiene regulations;

- Develop policies to support investment in clusters of traditional crafts villages, centralized livestock breeding and slaughtering zones, projects for waste collection and treatment in rural areas, and other environmental protection activities.

3. Provincial State Management Agencies for Agriculture and Rural Development shall direct subordinate agencies to regularly inspect compliance with legal provisions on environmental protection in agricultural and forestry production and aquaculture;

a) Prohibited from trading or using plant protection chemicals, veterinary drugs, and chemicals used in aquaculture that have exceeded their shelf life or are not on the approved list.

b) Expired fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, veterinary drugs, and chemicals used in aquaculture; containers and packaging for fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, veterinary drugs, and chemicals used in aquaculture; sediment and feed residues from pond cleaning during aquaculture must be collected and treated according to regulations.

c) Implement campaigns to shift from small-scale free-range livestock farming to controlled farming - family farms and ranches.

d) Centralized livestock breeding zones must comply with planning requirements and meet the following environmental protection criteria:

- Ensuring environmental hygiene for residential areas;

- Having a wastewater collection and treatment system meeting environmental standards;

- Solid livestock waste must be managed according to regulations to prevent dispersion into the environment;

- Livestock shelters must be cleaned regularly; ensuring disease prevention and response measures;

- Dead animals due to diseases must be collected and treated according to hazardous waste management and disease prevention regulations.

e) Prohibited from constructing centralized aquaculture zones on newly formed river mouth tidal flats along the coast; prohibited from clearing mangrove forests for aquaculture.

f) Centralized aquaculture zones must comply with planning requirements and meet the following environmental protection criteria:

- Waste must be collected and treated to meet environmental standards;

- Environmental restoration after ceasing aquaculture operations;

- Ensuring environmental hygiene conditions, preventing aquatic diseases; prohibiting the use of harmful chemicals or accumulation of toxic substances.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requests Provincial People's Committees, provincial State Management Agencies for Agriculture and Rural Development, and related agencies under the Ministry to effectively implement the above contents and report promptly on implementation results to the Ministry (Science, Technology and Environment Department) in June and December each year. During implementation, if there are difficulties, agencies and units shall promptly report to the Ministry for resolution./.