Malaysia
will resume fishery products exports to European Union (EU) countries
effective 14 May after it was relisted on the third Country
Establishments List on 1 May. This followed the outcome of a reinspection mission by the European Commission's (EC) Food and
Veterinary Office (FVO) from 3-12 March to evaluate the control systems put
in place by the Malaysian Competent Authorities
(CA) along the supply chain.
In June of last year, Malaysia voluntarily requested the EC - the
executive arm of the EU - to delist all Malaysian processing
establishments and a freezer vessel to avoid a ban on imports of
fishery products from Malaysia. Following this, the CA
implemented a comprehensive action plan involving stakeholders to
address all the shortcomings including problems with the cleanliness of
jetties, fishing vessels and ice factories.
The EU is the largest importer of seafood from Malaysia, and the value
of fisheries exported to the EU is RM600 million annually. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told the media the scope of
the FVO mission was confined to raw materials obtained from aquaculture
and those that were imported. He said, "Based on the outcome of
the inspection, six fisheries processing establishments and five farms
have been relisted and licensed to export fisheries products to the EU,
while another nine aquaculture farms have applied for licenses. Health Ministry officers will conduct audits at these nine farms first
and give our report to the FVO before they can obtain their licenses."
Liow said there is more work to be done as the current relisting is for
aquaculture alone. "There is still more work to be done with regards to sea
catch which we expect to be complete by next
year," he said. Liow also said that the Malaysian authorities will work
closely with their counterparts in the EU ot ensure that standards are met.
European Commission Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Malaysia, H E
Mr Vincent Piket, who also attended the press conference, said the EU
had earmarked €2 million (RM9.6 million) in a programme to modernise
the country's fisheries sector. The programme aims to develop traceability
systems through the supply chain to ensure food
safety and sustainability, and will also address
the needs of small - scale producers, namely
fishermen and processing plants.
Minister of Agriculture and Agro based Industries Datuk Noh Omar, who was at the
press conference, said to expedite the application
and approval process, a task force comprising
representatives from his Ministry, the Health
Ministry and industry players has been formed.
"The task force will formulate regulations and
work towards fast implementation," he said.
Meanwhile, Liow said both ministries are working towards releasing the
RM500 million in loans promised to seafood exporters via the
Agrobank. "This is now in the final stages and we promised to
bring it up again soon so that approvals can be obtained soonest," he
added. Malaysian Frozen Foods Processors Association Chairman, Ch'ng Chin Hooi said the loans were supposed to help members to improve
their facilities and services.
