Positive outlook as Viet Nam broadens market for livestock production under animal welfare standards

Livestock production in compliance with animal welfare standards is increasingly drawing the attention of many Vietnamese livestock enterprises.

According to Ms. Le Thi Hang, Director of the Farm Animal Welfare Program for Southeast Asia at Humane World for Animals, aside from Vinh Thanh Dat, a number of egg-producing companies in recent years have shifted from caged systems to cage-free farming. Notable examples include Ba Huan Joint Stock Company in Ho Chi Minh City, Dabaco Group in the North, as well as several other companies.

Cage-free eggs (produced by hens raised in compliance with animal welfare standards) are now available in many supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City such as Saigon Co.op, Emart, and Lotte. Supermarkets in Hanoi, Da Nang, Hai Phong, and other cities also carry these products. Many high-end restaurants, hotels, and food processing companies have switched to using cage-free eggs, demonstrating the strong domestic market potential for layer farms adopting animal welfare standards.

In 2024, Humane World for Animals, in collaboration with Nielsen market research company, conducted a survey in Vietnam on consumer interest in fresh egg products in five major cities: Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Hai Phong. The results showed that up to 92% of respondents said they would consider buying cage-free eggs.

According to Mr. Truong Chi Cuong, Deputy General Director of Vinh Thanh Dat Food Joint Stock Company, the company has expanded its cage-free flock from 6,000 hens in 2021 to 27,000 today - more than a fourfold increase. Scaling up cage-free production, he noted, allows the company to better meet the rapidly growing market demand. Currently, a wide range of customers, including confectionery companies, high-end restaurants, and hotels, have switched to cage-free eggs and place strong trust in this product line.

In the international market, demand for humane-certified eggs is on the rise. Recent international conferences organized by Humane World for Animals have clearly highlighted this trend. Many multinational companies in sectors such as hospitality and food have attended these events to present their procurement policies for animal-welfare-certified livestock products and to seek reliable sources of supply.

This growing movement toward responsible sourcing, now adopted by a wide range of multinational corporations, represents a significant opportunity for livestock companies committed to animal welfare standards to expand their markets. According to Humane World for Animals, more than 2,000 multinational corporations in Southeast Asia and worldwide have already pledged to purchase only animal-welfare-certified products.

With the growing demand from international markets, several Vietnamese livestock companies are now moving forward with plans to export cage-free eggs, initially targeting markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong. These are highly demanding markets, home to multinational corporations with significant procurement needs for livestock products certified under animal welfare standards.

According to Ms. Le Thi Hang, with the support of organizations such as Humane World for Animals, enterprises adopting animal welfare standards in their farming practices have strong opportunities to expand both production capacity and market reach.