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Banned chemical residues were found in Indian shrimp consignments to the EU and Japan. (Photo: Stock File)
Harmful chemicals detected in shrimp exports
INDIA
Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 02:00 (GMT + 9)
The Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health of the European Commission (EC) met last week and discussed a decision to impose emergency measures on shellfish imported from India marked for human consumption in European countries.
The gathering follows an earlier 24 March meeting that had produced a draft-legislation on the issue. If the draft legislation is accepted, all shellfish imports from India would have to be accompanied by an analytical test result indicating the product is free from nitrofuran residues, reports The Hindu.
In a similar case, Japanese Food and Safety Authority (JFSA) officials detected pesticide residue pendimethalin beyond acceptable levels in a cultured shrimp consignment from an Indian firm, industry sources stated.
Japan is the second largest importer of Indian seafood after the European Union (EU) - both account for 16 per cent and 35 per cent of the total respectively, Business Standard reports.
The EC meetings were held to discuss the results of a Community Inspection visit to India that exposed shortcomings with regard to residue control systems in live animals and animal products. There have also been increased reports from EU member countries of banned nitrofuran metabolites in shellfish imported from India.
Rapid alerts had been issued after Belgium reported the presence of nitrofurans and furazolidone in Indian shrimp products, which were detained and not distributed. Similar alerts had also been issued in February.
The Government of India responded by quickly implementing safeguards designed to protect the country's marine exports, even as Japan moved to implement similar measures recently taken by Europe.
"Both rejections and EU alerts over Indian shrimp consignments have gone up in the last three months,” confirmed G. Mohankumar, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).
“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," he said.
Over 90 per cent of the rejections have come from consignments sent by Andhra Pradesh exporters. A relatively small geographical area, officials claim strict screening measures can be implemented over Andhra Pradesh and make the monitoring process more effective.
With proper guidelines to run aquaculture farms hygienically and efficiently already in place, all is required is strict implementation and vigil, stressed the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).
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By Michael Loubet
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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