B�desh upbeat about getting EU waiver on mandatory shrimp test

Monira Munni

Bangladesh is hopeful of getting a waiver on the EU's mandatory shrimp testing requirement after its FVO gave a green signal to the country's action plan on complying with their recommendations including testing facilities, officials and exporters said Wednesday.

The European Union (EU) last year imposed a 20 per cent mandatory testing requirement on each shipment of shrimps from Bangladesh as part of its rigorous quality control drive.

It said a Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) team from the regional bloc, which ended its visit, has sent its final report this week marking four preliminary reports' recommendations satisfactory.

"It is concluded that improvements were seen in the residue monitoring system, particularly in the laboratories. In contrast to the findings in 2010, the analytical methods used for the residue monitoring programme on crustaceans and for the pre-export testing are now validated and fit for purpose," the report said.

Referring to the report, Dr J Kwakman, president of Europe-based Seafood Importers and Processors Alliance (SIPA), said Bangladesh would get special preference for withdrawing the 20 per cent mandatory tests in laboratories on its shrimp consignments in EU ports as the authorities are happy to see massive development and monitoring of quality control measures taken by its government.

Mr Kwakman said this at a luncheon meeting with the government officials and exporters on June 21 in the city. He is now in Bangladesh on a five-day business tour to be concluded on June 25.

A three-member FVO team has reviewed the country's present situation of residue control in live animals and animal products and the control mechanism for veterinary medical products -- steps seen as critical for export of shrimps to the EU.

The team has also reviewed the implementation of public health and residue control requirement in aquaculture products from root level to the production level, so that health hazard causing agents or drugs cannot enter the bodies of shrimps meant for export, exporters said.

Mahbubur Rahman, director general of Department of Fisheries, said, "The final report is the green signal ahead of the country's way towards getting a waiver on the EU's 20 per cent stringent testing requirement."

Last year, the team gave 12 recommendations, while this year it suggested only four which also proved our improvement, he added.

"The FVO is satisfied and thanked the government for the measures taken by it," he said adding, "now we are confident that the EU will withdraw its decision on mandatory shrimp testing requirement very soon."

The FVO team was impressed by the improvement in the country's quality control system and expressed its satisfaction in its report, said Mohammad Aminullah, senior vice president of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA).

"Shrimp exporters were able to overcome the country's image crisis over the 'nitrofuran issue' and we have also improved our laboratory testing capacity to be able to comply with the EU's quality requirements," he said adding, "It is a matter of time to get the waiver on stringent testing requirements."

Bangladesh exported frozen fish worth $565.10 million during July-May of the current fiscal year. The EU is the largest importer of Bangladesh shrimps, accounting for as much as 50 per cent of the shipment.

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