Minister determined to lift EU yellow card on seafood
Minister determined to lift EU yellow card on seafood
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has urged authorities, enterprises and fishermen to step up efforts to comply with regulations to remove the European Commission’s yellow card on Vietnam’s seafood and thus uphold the country’s prestige.
Minister Cuong fielded questions at a question-and-answer session today, November 6, during the ongoing sitting of the National Assembly. He noted that authorities and enterprises should cooperate to restructure the seafood industry in a sustainable manner, according to the Government news website.
The minister added that the yellow card is aimed at warning the country against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Vietnamese seafood exports to the European Union are subject to strict controls and inspections, he stressed. As such, the minister expected firms and fishermen to work harder to lift the yellow card as soon as possible.
Earlier, on October 23, 2017, the EC issued a yellow card warning to Vietnamese seafood products as the country had failed to clamp down on IUU fishing. This warning has heavily affected local seafood exports to EU countries.
Since then, the country has complied with regulations on fishing and put the EC’s recommendations in place.
Minister Cuong also fielded questions related to the prevention and control of African swine fever (ASF) at the session. He was resolved to eliminate the disease.
ASF is a viral disease that causes a high mortality rate in pigs, taking a toll on the husbandry sector in Vietnam and across the world, Cuong remarked.
After the ASF outbreaks hit China, the Government and the relevant agencies in Vietnam adopted a number of measures to prevent the disease. However, the disease mutated, causing rapid ASF outbreaks nationwide.
The country has witnessed some 5.7 million infected pigs being culled to date, accounting for 8% of the total number of pigs in Vietnam.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has worked out multiple effective measures to contain the spread of the disease.
Many communes have gone 30 days without the re-emergence of ASF outbreaks, Cuong said, adding that this was a good sign and indicated the efficiency of the measures applied over the past few months by the Government, farmers and local authorities.
Minister Cuong also reported that the World Organization for Animal Health had praised Vietnam for its transparency in providing information on ASF.
The minister noted that three weeks ago, a ministry task force had launched a trip to Hung Yen Province’s Khoai Chau District for inspection. The pig farms in the area are clean and meet hygiene requirements.
