The EU mission will carry out inspection from September 29 until October 8, focusing on aquaculture area, fishing boats, seaports, seafood processing plants and seafood export enterprises.
According to Vasep’s report, Vietnam now has 245 enterprises eligible to ship seafood to EU.
In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam exported US$583 million worth of seafood to EU, up 26 per cent on year.
EU is now the biggest importer of Vietnamese seafood, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of the country’s total earning from the products.
A workshop on EU fishery and aquaculture standards was opened September 18 in HMC City by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the National Fishery Quality Assurance and Veterinary Directorate (NAFIQAVED) and the DG SANCO under the EC.
Meanwhile, the inspection delegation of the Russian Federal Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Services VPSS is now here in Vietnam to inspect aquaculture and seafood processing enterprises. The third inspection tour by VPSS in 2007 will last ten days, September 16-26.
Russian inspectors will visit 28 enterprises, including the 11 recognized as eligible to export seafood to Russia in the first examination, three newly recognized enterprises and 10 enterprises the Russian side wants to visit.
VASEP has asked VPSS to re-inspect the plants which were not eligible to export products to Russia. Ngo Phuoc Hau, Deputy Chairman of VASEP, said that the plants had been trying to improve their quality in order to meet the requirements set by the Russian side.
Vietnam targeted US$3.6 billion from seafood exports this year, up from US$3.3 billion last year. (Pioneer, Labor)