Spent nearly 8 million VND to test the DNA of a cow worth 5 million VND

Mr. Moong Cong Hai, Chief Justice of the People's Court of Tuong Duong District (Nghe An), said that after receiving the DNA test results of a cow worth about 5 million VND in a dispute over ownership between two households in Tuong Duong District, the unit coordinated with the locality to hand it over to the owner's family.

According to case records, Mr. Lo Van Thuong (born in 1963) and Ms. La Thi On (born in 1981) are neighbors, living in Yen Hop village, Yen Hoa commune (Tuong Duong).

About 2 months ago, Mr. Thuong went to Khe Kit in Yen Hop village and brought back a 3-year-old cow, claiming it was the child of the mother cow in his herd.

Mrs. On saw that the cow Mr. Thuong brought home looked "exactly like" the cow her family had lost, so she went to his house many times to argue but to no avail.

Mr. Thuong filed a lawsuit with the People's Committee of Yen Hoa Commune. The People's Committee of the Commune organized mediation and property division many times, but both households insisted that the cow was theirs.

Ms. Lo Thi Dai Trang, Vice Chairman of Yen Hoa Commune People's Committee, said that local people have the custom of grazing buffalo and cows in the mountains and forests.

According to Ms. Trang, some families regularly visit their livestock, but others only go to the forest once every 1-2 years or when there is a vaccination campaign. Therefore, confusion between households over cattle is not uncommon. However, some people are greedy, leading to disputes over livestock.

"In the case of Mr. Thuong and Mrs. On, after the dispute, the commune organized mediation three times but failed. Both households affirmed that the female cow had similar features to the mother cow they were raising, so they were forced to take the cow for DNA testing," Ms. Trang informed.

After receiving the request for property division, Tuong Duong District People's Court coordinated with the local authorities of Yen Hoa commune to take DNA samples of the cow.

The leader of Yen Hoa Commune People's Committee said that the disputed cow is worth about 5 million VND, while the DNA testing fee is up to 7.8 million VND, not including travel expenses.

The court took samples to send for DNA testing and both families signed a commitment that if either family was wrong, that family would have to pay all costs of the DNA testing.

According to the leader of Yen Hoa commune, the households were clearly explained that the cost of DNA testing could be more expensive than the value of the cow. However, some people wanted to determine the winner and loser, so they still agreed, signed a commitment and sent the cow sample for testing.

The appraisal results showed that the disputed cow belonged to Mrs. La Thi On's household, because the sample matched her family's mother cow.

It is known that this is not the first time that a cow has been taken for DNA testing due to a dispute in Yen Hoa commune. In 2020, there was a similar case in the locality.

"We hope that households will be more aware of managing and caring for livestock, and change their grazing habits in the forest to prevent similar incidents from happening," said the leader of Yen Hoa commune.