February 25, 2009

Malaysia will likely be allowed to resume sending seafood to the EU by ship after improving hygiene on vessels, testing fish and addressing other food safety concerns, an official said Tuesday (Feb 24).

Delegation of the European Commission to Malaysia official Pablo Iglesias who monitors trade issues, said European health inspectors would arrive in Malaysia next week for a two -week mission.

Malaysia voluntarily stopped shipping seafood to the EU last June to avoid being banned after European inspectors found processors and exporters had failed to meet several EU health regulations.

Iglesias said they know for a fact that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health have been working very hard on improving the health standards and Malaysia is confident exports can resume.

He said the inspectors would "hopefully give the green light" officially after checking that Malaysia met all recommendations, including improving the hygiene of washrooms and storage space aboard fishing vessels.

According to EU statistics, Malaysia's export of fish and crustaceans to the EU was worth EUR102 million (US$131 million) in 2007.

Between 40 and 50 Malaysian companies export seafood to Europe, the government says.

Iglesias said not all seafood exporters may be able to resume shipments but the largest ones have made the changes that have been required of them.