February 15, 2006

EU lifts ban on Chinese aquatic products

The EU has allowed imports of aquatic products from southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after a four-year ban on Chinese animal food, said Guangxi-based Hong'en Aquatics Company Ltd.

The company exported 40 tonnes of African crucian to the Netherlands, which passed customs quarantine checks there earlier this month.

The fish was raised especially for the EU market, revealed the company. The export batch was examined by the EU's food safety experts at the customs in Rotterdam, which is up to par with the EU's general safety standard.

In January 2002, the EU suspended the imports of animal food from China after claiming to have discovered chloromycetin in Chinese fresh shrimps. The embargo was not revoked until August 2004.

To help local aquatic exporters regain access to the EU market, the Guangxi Provincial Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine Bureau inspected local aquatic farms and carried out quarantine checks using EU's safety standard.