MARD bans cypermethrin for used in aquaculture in Vietnam

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will ban from aquaculture use 20 kinds of plant protection substances containing cypermethrin.

Pham Anh Tuan, deputy director of MARD’s Directorate of Fisheries, said that the ban was submitted to the Minister at the beginning of this month, and it would be put into effect right after approval.

About 20 products containing cypermethrin were sold in the markets with different names such as Sherpa, Ambush C, Cymbush, Peran and Cyperan.

The element was first used as a plant protection substance, but at present some residents used it in aquaculture to kill crustaceans in aquatic (mostly shrimp) ponds, said Tuan.

The National Agro Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) also confirmed that cypermethrin has been used to kill crustaceans in Bac Lieu and Ca Mau southern provinces since 2003. After that, the element was used in other provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

NAFIQAD’s deputy director Tran Bich Nga said that cypermethrin was poisonous at average levels for humans via respiratory organs, and would be more poisonous via digestive organs.

The US authorities banned aquatic products containing cypermethrin from being imported and circulated, whereas Japanese authorities allowed the element to be used with the amount of 10-30 parts per billion and the EU allowed it with the amount of 50 parts per billion.

Do Xuan Mai, a member of the An Giang Aquaculture Association, said that cypermethrin was sold at a cheap price and so far there was no ban, thus residents used it widely.

"There are currently many other environmentally friendly products that can kill crustaceans besides cypermethrin and are sold in the markets,” he said.