All batches of products made from Siluriformers fish that are to be shipped to the US will have to undergo food safety tests from August 2, 2017, instead of September 1 (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) –Vietnamese tra fish processors and exporters are worried that it will cost moretime and money to put their fish on plates in the US after the countryannounced ahead-of-schedule food safety tests on imported Siluriformers fishand fish products.
All batches of products made from Siluriformersfish, including tra, basa, tre and lang fish, that are to be shipped to the USwill have to undergo food safety tests from August 2, 2017, instead ofSeptember 1.
The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries QualityAssurance Department (NAFIQAD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (MARD) on July 10 sent this announcement to processors andexporters of Siluriformers fish after the department received a letter from theUS Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the US Department ofAgriculture (USDA) through the US Embassy in Vietnam.
FSIS announced that all shipments of importedSiluriformers fish and fish products must be presented at an Official ImportInspection Establishment for re-inspection by FSIS personnel, according to theUS Federal Register issued on July 3.
To apply for import re-inspection, applicantsmust submit a paper or electronic inspection application form to FSIS ahead ofthe shipment’s arrival and no later than when the entry is filed with the USCustoms and Border Protection. The applicant must identify the official importinspection establishment where re-inspection will occur.
FSIS encouraged importers and brokers tocommunicate and coordinate with their respective FSIS District Office tofacilitate compliance.
Truong Thi Le Khanh, Chairwoman and GeneralDirector of Vinh Hoan JSC, one of Vietnam’s leading tra fish exporters to theUS, said Siluriformers fish and fish products are likely stuck in the US asconstruction of several official import inspection facilities in the US isstill underway.
Sharing Khanh’s views, Truong Dinh Hoe, GeneralSecretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers(VASEP), said there are only 40 official inspection facilities authorised bythe USDA scattered across the US. Few of them offer complete services whileothers specialise in only meat or frozen products.
He also expressed his concern over thesefacilities’ inability to perform food safety tests for Siluriformers fish andfish products, which, he said, may lengthen the duration of storage and FSISinspections.
As a result, exporters will have to pay morestorage fees and struggle to deliver their shipments on time, Hoa added.
Given this, he suggested the MARD work with theUSDA to remove these bottlenecks.
Nguyen Nhu Tiep, head of NAFIQAD, told theVietnam News Agency that in a diplomatic note sent to NAFIQAD, FSIS explainedthat the adjustment of the test schedule is in response to the US Congress’sBudget Control Act.
NAFIQAD then sent a diplomat note to FSISexpressing its concern over the change and suggesting the US create the bestpossible conditions for Vietnamese exporters to ensure the smooth delivery ofSiluriformers fish to the market.
He further explained that businesses were notinformed prior to the test schedule adjustment. Therefore, those who planned toship Siluriformers fish to the US after August 2, 2017 will incur extra costsat official import inspection facilities.
NAFIQAD also urges local tra fish processors andexporters to contact US importers to learn more about new food safetyregulations, he added.
At a recent conference on the tra fish sector inthe Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, Deputy Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Vu Van Tam stressed that Vietnam will cooperate and negotiatesimultaneously when penetrating the US market.
According to the VASEP, the US markethas potential for pangasius fish products, however, the market has anti-dumpingduties and technical standards that are too defensive and too strict, exceedingrequirements for food safety.
Therefore, Vietnamese pangasius fish processorsand exporters face many obstacles in exporting tothe American market. In fact, only a few enterprises have been ableto export to this market.
The US is currently thesecond largest importer of Vietnamese tra fish,behind China.
In the first four months of this year, Vietnam’stotal export value of tra fish to the US stood at 90.2 million USD, ayear-on-year drop of 21.7 percent.-VNA
All batches of products made from Siluriformersfish, including tra, basa, tre and lang fish, that are to be shipped to the USwill have to undergo food safety tests from August 2, 2017, instead ofSeptember 1.
The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries QualityAssurance Department (NAFIQAD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (MARD) on July 10 sent this announcement to processors andexporters of Siluriformers fish after the department received a letter from theUS Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the US Department ofAgriculture (USDA) through the US Embassy in Vietnam.
FSIS announced that all shipments of importedSiluriformers fish and fish products must be presented at an Official ImportInspection Establishment for re-inspection by FSIS personnel, according to theUS Federal Register issued on July 3.
To apply for import re-inspection, applicantsmust submit a paper or electronic inspection application form to FSIS ahead ofthe shipment’s arrival and no later than when the entry is filed with the USCustoms and Border Protection. The applicant must identify the official importinspection establishment where re-inspection will occur.
FSIS encouraged importers and brokers tocommunicate and coordinate with their respective FSIS District Office tofacilitate compliance.
Truong Thi Le Khanh, Chairwoman and GeneralDirector of Vinh Hoan JSC, one of Vietnam’s leading tra fish exporters to theUS, said Siluriformers fish and fish products are likely stuck in the US asconstruction of several official import inspection facilities in the US isstill underway.
Sharing Khanh’s views, Truong Dinh Hoe, GeneralSecretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers(VASEP), said there are only 40 official inspection facilities authorised bythe USDA scattered across the US. Few of them offer complete services whileothers specialise in only meat or frozen products.
He also expressed his concern over thesefacilities’ inability to perform food safety tests for Siluriformers fish andfish products, which, he said, may lengthen the duration of storage and FSISinspections.
As a result, exporters will have to pay morestorage fees and struggle to deliver their shipments on time, Hoa added.
Given this, he suggested the MARD work with theUSDA to remove these bottlenecks.
Nguyen Nhu Tiep, head of NAFIQAD, told theVietnam News Agency that in a diplomatic note sent to NAFIQAD, FSIS explainedthat the adjustment of the test schedule is in response to the US Congress’sBudget Control Act.
NAFIQAD then sent a diplomat note to FSISexpressing its concern over the change and suggesting the US create the bestpossible conditions for Vietnamese exporters to ensure the smooth delivery ofSiluriformers fish to the market.
He further explained that businesses were notinformed prior to the test schedule adjustment. Therefore, those who planned toship Siluriformers fish to the US after August 2, 2017 will incur extra costsat official import inspection facilities.
NAFIQAD also urges local tra fish processors andexporters to contact US importers to learn more about new food safetyregulations, he added.
At a recent conference on the tra fish sector inthe Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, Deputy Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Vu Van Tam stressed that Vietnam will cooperate and negotiatesimultaneously when penetrating the US market.
According to the VASEP, the US markethas potential for pangasius fish products, however, the market has anti-dumpingduties and technical standards that are too defensive and too strict, exceedingrequirements for food safety.
Therefore, Vietnamese pangasius fish processorsand exporters face many obstacles in exporting tothe American market. In fact, only a few enterprises have been ableto export to this market.
The US is currently thesecond largest importer of Vietnamese tra fish,behind China.
In the first four months of this year, Vietnam’stotal export value of tra fish to the US stood at 90.2 million USD, ayear-on-year drop of 21.7 percent.-VNA
VNA
