Kochi, Jan. 26 The rejections of Indian shrimp (scampi) by the European Union (EU) have fallen drastically after the modalities of testing the exports for the banned antibiotic nitrofuran were modified last September.
Presence of chemical
A cursory examination of the data provided by the EU reveals only one rejection through a notification by the EU Secretariat on January 11. There were over 50 rejections last year by the EU, mainly before the introduction of the revised testing formula in September. Some of the rejections were due to the presence of nitrofuran metabolite.
The EU alerts all member countries of the presence of banned substances and sub-standard import consignments mainly through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.
2-pronged move
The substantial reduction in alerts on Indian seafood was achieved through a two-pronged strategy of revising the testing module and also through better enforcement and compliance by authorities, sources in the Seafood Exporters Association of India said.
Till September, nitrofuran testing was conducted on the shell of the shrimp and not on the edible meat portion. When a request from India was accepted and the testing was conducted on the meat, the number of notifications and rejections fell sharply.
The decision of the EU Commission on September 30, 2009 required all crustacean imports from India to be tested for nitrofuran metabolite prior to shipment; and to be accompanied by the test certificate. Those without the certificate would be detained and sampled for nitrofuran metabolite, the decision said.
The fall in rejections has virtually nullified the allegations raised by the Southern Shrimp Alliance – an association of eight Southern US States engaged in warm water shrimp fishery – that Indian shrimp exports to the EU had been substandard and had invited substantial number of rejections last year.
Pointing to the rapid rise in Indian seafood exports to the EU and the growing number of rejections during last year, the alliance had requested the US Food and Drug Administration to increase the testing of such imports and to issue an import alert on all shrimp imports from India.
Some Indian exporters pointed out that the allegations were timed with the announcement of the sunset review of anti-dumping duties for Indian shrimp exports to the US.
Alerts against others
They also testified to the high and exacting standards of testing by the EU that had resulted in alerts being issued to developed countries such as Denmark, Canada, Turkey, Spain and the UK over and above scores of developing country exports from Asia, Africa and South America.
Source : Business Line