The Prime Minister just issued a decree tightening aquatic product quality control after seeing some Vietnamese seafood enterprises warned for using toxic impurities.
According to Decree 154, all those collecting, preserving, processing and trading aquatic products containing toxic impurities harmful to human beings will be fined up to VND20 million (US$1,250).
Decree 154 said intentional transport of aquatic products with impurities would be fined VND3 million (US$187.5) and injection of impurities into aquatic products would be fined VND3-5 million (US$187-312).
Aquatic products violating the regulations will be seized or destroyed. Any establishments that commit repeated violations will have their food hygiene and safety certificates revoked for 6-12 months.
Decree 154 adjusted and supplemented several regulations stipulated in Decree 128 on punishment in the fisheries sector.
In other news, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) said on Monday that Russian agencies would inspect all Vietnamese firms processing catfish for export to Russia.
Vasep quoted Sergei Dankvert, chief of Russia's Federal Veterinary Service, as saying last week that the inspection would be carried out in early 2007.
He said the decision was made after his agency had discovered 4,800 packages of tra and basa fillet from Vietnam entering without legal documents, adding that Russia would only allow import of basa and tra processed at plants inspected by Russian authorities.
Meanwhile, Vasep said it suspended several seafood enterprises from exporting seafood to China, South Korea and EU for 3 months due to faults.
Last week, the Vietnam Ministry of Trade received formal notice from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare saying that Japan once again discovered antibiotic residues in cuttlefish and shrimp exports from five additional Vietnamese seafood enterprises, raising total number of warned enterprises to 16.
Luckily, Japan has not yet issued a ban on importing seafood from enterprises.
Vietnam is estimated to export US$3.364 billion worth of seafood in 2006, up 23.2 per cent on year.
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