On 16 June 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 211/2026/ND-CP on administrative penalties in the livestock sector, effective 5 August 2026. Unlike many instruments introduced in recent content cycles, this decree is already in force at the time of writing in October 2026, so every fine level below is the framework currently applied to violations today. It is also the first dedicated penalty instrument built systematically for the Law on Livestock, spanning breeding stock, animal feed, farming conditions and waste treatment products.
The decree’s own fine convention: individuals are the base, organisations pay double
The point to read before any fine table is the base convention in the decree’s own general provisions: the fine stated for each violation is the level for an individual, and an organisation committing the same violation is fined twice the individual level. The maximum fine in the livestock sector under the decree is VND 100 million for an individual and VND 200 million for an organisation. On limitation periods, the general period is one year, but violations concerning the trading, production and import-export of breeding stock, animal feed and livestock waste treatment products carry a two-year period, longer because these are goods-chain violations that take time to trace. Alongside fines and warnings as principal penalties, the decree adds supplementary measures such as time-limited revocation of licences and practice certificates, suspension of operations, confiscation of exhibits, and a long list of remedial measures.
Violation groups and representative fine bands
The breeding stock group covers exploiting, trading or exporting rare breeding genetic resources against the rules and importing stock of unassured quality, with common fines from VND 5 million to VND 50 million, plus confiscation and, in serious cases, surrender of the value of exhibits already sold, dispersed or destroyed. The animal feed group has the widest span, from VND 3 million to VND 100 million, because it runs from labelling and information disclosure defects through quality failures to banned substances. The farming conditions and waste treatment group, covering failure to keep safe distances, farming in prohibited areas and failure to treat waste as required, is fined from VND 1 million to VND 30 million, with measures such as relocating animals or the farm, reducing scale to fit the required distance and remediating pollution. Failure to declare livestock activity is fined VND 3 to 5 million, and fraudulent declaration for gain VND 5 to 10 million.
Banned substances in feed: the most heavily tightened group
The decree reserves its highest bands for banned chemicals, biological products and microorganisms in animal feed. Using each banned substance is fined VND 50 to 60 million where the act has not reached criminal liability; where the act has reached the criminal threshold but the prosecution authorities decide not to prosecute, annul the prosecution decision, suspend the investigation or the case, or exempt criminal liability by judgment, the fine is VND 70 to 80 million. Producing, trading or importing each feed product containing a banned substance is fined VND 60 to 80 million where the total value of the violating products is under VND 100 million or the illicit gain under VND 50 million, and VND 80 to 100 million above those thresholds where no criminal handling applies, together with suspension of production, trading or import for three to six months and destruction of the products. On production conditions, manufacturing feed without a certificate of satisfaction of production conditions is fined VND 30 to 35 million; products whose information has not been published on the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s portal are fined VND 10 to 15 million and may be suspended for one to three months.
A farm without an environmental permit: two penalty layers to keep apart
This question is often answered with a single, imprecise figure. The first layer belongs to Decree 211/2026: a farm breaching livestock conditions and waste treatment duties, such as lacking a compliant waste treatment system, discharging against the rules in farming operations, farming in a prohibited area or failing safe distances, is fined within the VND 1 to 30 million band of the farming conditions group, with remedial measures such as relocation, scale reduction and pollution remediation. The second layer is the environmental permit as a standalone licence under the Law on Environmental Protection: a livestock project that requires an environmental permit and operates without one is sanctioned under the environmental penalty framework, at levels depending on the project type and the licensing authority, entirely outside Decree 211/2026. A farm missing its environmental permit can therefore face both layers at once: livestock conditions and waste under Decree 211/2026, and unlicensed operation under environmental law. Attaching a single Decree 211/2026 figure to the missing permit itself miscites the instrument.
Who may impose penalties, and the remedial measures
Penalty authority under the decree rests with chairpersons of People’s Committees at all levels, the specialised state management agencies for livestock and veterinary affairs, and, within their mandates, the People’s Police, Border Guard, Coast Guard and Customs, particularly for breeding stock and feed moving across the border. The remedial catalogue reflects the industry itself: recycling or converting the use of products, correcting label information, relocating animals and farms out of prohibited areas, reducing farming scale to fit required distances, recalling and destroying substandard products, surrendering illicit gains and returning licences and certificates that were erased or altered. For an operating farm, the largest financial risk usually lies not in the fine but in relocation and suspension measures, so a self-audit of farming conditions, distances and waste treatment records should happen before any inspection does.
Farms and feed businesses that need to map their operations against the new penalty framework can discuss it with FLAT Law Firm through the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which livestock violations does Decree 211/2026/ND-CP penalize?
Decree 211/2026/ND-CP (effective 5 August 2026) penalises groups including: breeding stock and genetic resource violations (commonly VND 5-50 million); animal feed violations covering production conditions, quality, labelling, information disclosure and banned substances (VND 3-100 million); farming condition and waste treatment violations such as safe distances, farming in prohibited areas and improper waste treatment (VND 1-30 million); livestock activity declaration violations; and practice violations in the livestock sector. Supplementary measures include suspension, licence revocation and remedies such as product recall, destruction and farm relocation.
What is the maximum fine in the livestock sector?
Under the general provisions of Decree 211/2026/ND-CP, the fines stated in its articles are the levels for individuals, and an organisation committing the same violation is fined twice that level. The maximum fine in the livestock sector is VND 100 million for an individual and VND 200 million for an organisation. For example, producing feed containing banned substances at the highest band is VND 80-100 million for an individual, corresponding to VND 160-200 million for an organisation.
How is a livestock farm without an environmental permit penalized?
Two layers must be separated. Under Decree 211/2026/ND-CP, breaching livestock conditions and waste treatment duties (no compliant waste treatment system, farming in a prohibited area, failing safe distances) is fined within the VND 1-30 million band with remedies such as relocation, scale reduction and pollution remediation. Operating without an environmental permit is itself a violation of the environmental protection framework and is sanctioned under the environmental penalty rules at levels depending on the project type and licensing authority; it is not part of Decree 211/2026.
Who has the authority to impose livestock penalties?
Under Decree 211/2026/ND-CP, authority rests with chairpersons of People’s Committees at all levels; the specialised state management agencies for livestock and veterinary affairs; and, within their mandates, the People’s Police, Border Guard, Coast Guard and Customs, especially for imported and exported breeding stock and feed. Each authority may only fine within its own ceiling, and cases above that ceiling must be transferred upward.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council