The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has decided to tighten control over quality of seafood before they are exported to Australia in order to meet stricter demands from the foreign country.
So far, Vietnam’s consignments of shrimp without peels and heads to Australia, which have not undergone heat treatment or deep processing, will have samples tested to find diseases before clearance.
Samples of exports will be taken for tests for some kinds of diseases, including white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), Infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) and yellow head virus (YHV)
The decision was made after Australian agencies announced the application of temporary measures to quarantine shrimp imports. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has sent a dispatch to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), requesting the association inform its members about Australia’s decision.
Under the implementation of the temporary measures, the Australian agencies would consider re-granting import licenses in accordance with their country’s regulations on imports quarantine.
VASEP has collected opinions from its members and decided to release a petition, protesting against Australia’s temporary quarantine measures applied on shrimp imports. The new measures now being applied by the Australian agencies show unsuitable points if compared to the measures applied since 2000.
According to MARD, since the Australia applies new measures on shrimp imports quarantine, Vietnam’s seafood exports to the market has decreased sharply (44 per cent in quantity, 51 per cent in export turnover compared to the same period of 2006).
Most export items to Australia have seen turnover decreases, except for tra and basa, with a little increase.
Vietnam now has 71 seafood companies that have seafood exports to Australia. The biggest exporters are Thuan Hung, Agifish An Giang and Vinh Hoan. MARD fears that the strict quarantine regulations applied by Australia would set big barriers to Vietnam’s seafood exports to the market. (Vietnamnet,
www.vasep.com.vn)
Vietnamese
