Japan - the largest consuming shrimp market has set new standards for Ethoxyquin quantity in shrimp imported from Vietnam. However, according to the review of Vietnamese enterprises, accomplishing this standard is difficult.
For less than three years, Vietnam's shrimp has been repeatedly warned by Japan with 3 antibiotics and chemical exceeding the standard level of this country. In 2010, Vietnam shrimp industry fluctuated when Japan applied new regulation of inspecting Trifluralin sample with the frequency of 30 percent in shrimp imported from Vietnam. At the same time, Japan also warned that if it detected a batch of shrimp infected by Trifluralin, Japan would immediately apply the 100 percent inspection regulation. To maintain business operations and keep customers and markets, shrimp exporters had to spend countless billions of Vietnamese dong to control residues of Trifluralin. With effort, Vietnam shrimp eliminates Trifluralin, shrimp exports to Japan have tended to increase again. But almost immediately after, Enrofloxacin was put into consideration to be inspected.
After Enrofloxacin, on May 18th, the Japanese Ministry of Health decided to check with frequency of 30 percent shrimps imported from Vietnam. The permitted level of Ethoxyquin is 0.01 ppm. And if the level is exceeded, inspection frequency will be raised to 50-100 percent then imports will be banned. According to Mr Truong Dinh Hoe, Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Ethoxyquin is antioxidants, used in shrimp feed and has almost no bad impact on human health. So the Japanese announcement is a surprise for the fishery sector. With this barrier, Vietnam’s shrimp will face more difficulties in penetrating the Japanese market which tends to increase the consumption of products made from shrimp from Vietnam. That Japan adds Ethoxyquin to the list of antibiotics and chemical alarmed in imported seafood will be detrimental to Vietnam's fisheries, especially companies seeking to consolidate and expand market share in this large market. It should be noted that some other markets also started to pay attention to this phenomenon and will strengthen inspection. First is America - the 2nd biggest importer of Vietnam’s shrimp.
In addition, Ethoxyquin is a banned substance that Japan warned to all shrimp-exporting countries in this market. However there is information that the Japan applies different Ethoxyquin level regulations for shrimp exports to different countries and Vietnam shrimp are subject to stringent level of 0.01 ppm, while the provisions of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is 0.5 ppm.
To avoid damage to the export companies and protect the reputation of Vietnam shrimp in the Japanese market, recently VASEP sent a dispatch to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposing the test of cause and notifying enterprises and relevant units information about the sources of infection, prevention and control measures from raw materials for Ethoxyquin quality. At the same time VASEP proposed the Ministry review of the use of substances Ethoxyquin and Sulfamethoxazole (found in shrimp imported from China to Japan) in aquaculture and enhance measures to strictly control the use of these substances to prevent infection of these substances from raw materials.
In recommendations of VASEP, on July 31st, Minister Cao Duc Phat of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a letter to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan with content related to concerns about Ethoxyquin residues in shrimp exports to the Japanese market. Accordingly, the Ministers requested the Japanese side temporarily apply the maximum residue levels (MRL) of Ethoxyquin on shrimp which is 1 ppm, similar to the Japanese regulations for the import of fish products because the total imported amount of shrimp and fish of the Japanese people are equal.
While Food Safety Commission of Japan redefines the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for Ethoxyquin, Minister Cao Duc Phat also asks the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan to consider ADI based on the identification of the Joint FAP/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) as 0.005 mg / kg body weight to soon build a temporary MRL provisions of Ethoxyquin in shrimp.
Thanh Tung
Vietnamese
