MAE proposes amendments to 10 laws to cut red tape

The MAE proposes amending 10 laws to remove administrative procedure obstacles

The draft law aims to amend and supplement several articles of 10 laws in the fields of agriculture and environment, including crop production, livestock farming, veterinary medicine, fisheries, irrigation, dikes, water resources, meteorology and hydrology, geology and minerals.

Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stated that the proposal stems from the need to implement Resolution No.206/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly on special mechanisms for handling obstacles caused by legal regulations, and Resolution No.66.19/2026/NQ-CP dated May 18, of the government on reducing, decentralising, and simplifying administrative procedures and reducing and simplifying business conditions under the management of the MAE.

According to the aforementioned resolutions, the government is responsible for submitting to the National Assembly for promulgation a Law amending and supplementing relevant provisions in 13 existing laws, ensuring that it takes effect before March 1, 2027.

However, according to the MAE, there is a short time remaining until March 1, 2027, and drafting 13 separate draft laws will be difficult to ensure in terms of progress, consistency, and the completion of the legal system.

Drafting a bill to amend and supplement several articles of 10 laws in the fields of agriculture and environment is appropriate because these laws are closely related in terms of administrative procedures and business investment conditions.

One of the notable contents in the draft law is the amendment of regulations related to the issuance and revocation of certificates of eligibility for animal feed production in the Livestock Law. The authority to issue and revoke certificates will be assigned to the chairman of the provincial People's Committee for animal feed production facilities in the province.

This regulation is considered consistent with the policy of decentralisation, reducing the burden on central agencies, and shortening the processing time of applications. For cases where importing countries have specific requirements, the management agency will, according to government regulations, issue and revoke certificates to ensure compliance with international requirements and export activities.

Similarly, in the field of minerals, the draft law also amends the Law on Geology and Minerals to decentralise authority to localities. The chairman of the provincial People's Committee will be able to consider and approve mineral exploration in areas prohibited from mineral activities, if necessary, before submitting a permit application. The new regulation will also apply to minerals under the licensing authority of Minister of Agriculture and Environment, aiming to shorten procedures and increase the proactive role of localities in handling emerging projects.

The ministry drafted a submission proposing that the Standing Committee of the National Assembly allow the National Assembly to approve this draft law at one session (the second session of the 16^th National Assembly) under a simplified procedure, effective from January 1, 2027.

The MAE requires ministries, ministerial-level agencies, people's committees of cities and provinces, and the Vietnam Confederation of Commerce and Industry to provide written feedback to the ministry before June 5, for completion of the draft law dossier to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for appraisal.

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