HANOI, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam officially decided to suspend the imports of meat, livestock and poultry products from 21 factories of Brazil which have been under suspicion of using unhygienic substance, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The ministry also asked the Department of Animal Health to closely supervise the earlier imports from Brazil and notify if products from those factories are found, reported local Nhan Dan (People) newspaper on Friday.

The department was also requested to send an official notice of the decision to Brazil's authorized agencies as well as verify whether Brazil can ensure the hygiene of the products and then report to the MARD.

Vietnam has imported about 3,000 tons of meat and meat products from Brazil since the beginning of 2017, which is relatively small compared to nearly 6 million tons of meat that the Latin American country ships abroad every year.

Before entering Vietnam, all meat from Brazil is kept at ports for test. Only qualified meat is allowed for sale in the country, said the Department of Animal Health.