The Hindu Business Line : EU alert on Indian shrimp exports

Vigil needed
Rapid alerts issued after presence of harmful nitrofurans, furazolidone found.
Only tested consignments would be permitted for exports, says MPEDA.

C.J. Punnathara

Kochi, April 12 The Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health of the European Commission which met last week exchanged views over a decision to impose emergency measures on crustaceans imported from India which were intended for human consumption in European countries.

This follows an earlier meeting of the Committee at Brussels on March 24 that had produced a draft-legislation on the same issue. If the draft legislation is accepted, all crustacean imports from India would have to be accompanied by an analytical test result showing that the exported product is free from nitrofuran residues.

The meetings were the outcome of Community Inspection visit to India which revealed shortcomings with regard to residue control systems in live animals and animal products. Correspondingly, there have been increased reports from EU member countries of metabolites of nitrofuran in crustaceans imported from India.

The presence of this substance is forbidden in the EU since they represent a risk to human health. Rapid alerts were issued after Belgium reported the presence of nitrofurans in two consignments of the giant freshwater prawns as well as the presence of furazolidone in one consignment of black tiger prawns exported from India last month. The consignments were detained and not distributed. Similar alerts were issued when nitrofuran was detected in consignments of giant fresh water prawns exported from India to Belgium and Germany in February as well.

Analytical tests

The Commission can ask member states to import crustaceans from India only if it can be shown that they were subjected to analytical test at origin and confirm that they do not contain metabolite of nitrofurans. Imports without analytical tests at origin need be permitted only if the importing country undertakes appropriate checks on arrival, the Commission recommended.

But recognising the gravity of the situation, the Government of India has quickly erected sufficient safeguards to protect the country’s marine exports. Europe is the most significant marine export destination, accounting for over 35 per cent of the country’s total seafood exports, followed by Japan with 16 per cent, China 14 per cent and the US with 13 per cent. In shrimp exports, which constitute 52 per cent of India’s total marine exports, EU alone accounts for 37 per cent followed by Japan with 22 per cent and the US with 19 per cent.

“Both rejections and EU alerts over Indian shrimp consignments have gone up in the last three months. But they should be coming down in the immediate future since effective measures for total screening of export consignments are being implemented. Six new testing laboratories have been established and only tested consignments would be permitted for exports,” Mr G. Mohankumar, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), said.

AP in focus

Moreover, over 90 per cent of the rejections have come from consignments in Andhra Pradesh. Since rejections and alerts are not spread over a wide geographical area, strict screening measures can be implemented over a smaller territory, making the exercise far more effective. Attention should also be extended to aquaculture farms which are the major source of the contamination, sources in the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) said.

Proper guidelines to run aquaculture farms hygienically and efficiently are already in position and it is just a matter of strict implementation and vigil that is needed, they added.

More Stories on : Aquaculture | Exports & Imports

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Indigenous method

Net loss

EU alert on Indian shrimp exports

‘Speculation’ stretches rubber to Rs 100/kg

Tea prices rule high at Coonoor auction

Tea loading made easier and faster

Bearish reversal seen for gold

Gold prices may ease; crude to stay above $50