June 29, 2012

Vietnam requests Japan to increase shrimp products' ethoxyquin residue limit

In order to help facilitate Vietnam's shrimp products' exports to the Japanese market, it has proposed Japan to raise the limit of Ethoxyquin residue in shrimp products to one ppm from current 0.01 ppm.

The proposal was made by representatives of Vietnam's National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) during their recent visit to Japan, said NAFIQUAD's Head Nguyen Nhu Tiep.

Ethoxyquin is a kind of antioxidant preservatives mixed in animal and fish feed. Japan's decision to apply an Ethoxyquin residue limit of 0.01 ppm makes it more difficult for Vietnamese seafood to enter this market.

The Japanese side will review the proposal and have official reply in coming time, Tiep said. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has raised the mandatory testing ratio for shrimp consignments from Vietnam to 30% since May 18. The ratio will be hiked to 50% if one or two more ethoxyquin - infected shipments are found, and then to 100% if the Japanese authorities detect further infected shipments.

Japan, one of the biggest importers of Vietnamese shrimps, spent US$136.2 million on importing shrimps from Vietnam in the year as of April 15, accounting for 26.7% of the latter's revenue from shrimp exports during the period.