April 13, 2007

EU adds more Vietnamese seafood companies allowed export to the region

The EU last week added 37 Vietnamese seafood companies to the list of companies allowed to export products to the market, raising the number of approved companies to 245.

The expansion is an indication that more Vietnamese processing workshops can meet EU requirements on food hygiene.

To expand trading relations, 32 major Vietnamese seafood businesses, members of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP), would be attending the European Seafood Exposition 2007 (ESE) in Brussels in late April, the Ministry of Fisheries said.

Seeking partners for more trade opportunities in the European market will be amongst the targets of the VASEP's delegation at the world's largest seafood fair.

However, Vietnam's seafood companies now face another challenge from Australia's import risk analysis (IRA), which imposes stricter requirements on imported shrimp products.

Australian agencies have announced that they would increase examinations of imported shrimp products to find the five most dangerous shrimp diseases.

Moreover, imported products must be certified by competent agencies.

Australia is one of the top 10 markets for Vietnamese seafood, with seafood exports worth US$60 million a year.

Just under half of Vietnam's frozen shrimp exports is sent to Australia.