The strict requirements stated in the European Commission (EC)’s Regulation 1005, to take effect in January 2010, is said to be the main reason affecting Vietnam’s seafood exports. According to a Vietnamese official under the regulation, which covers establishing a system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, each batch of seafood exported to the EU must be accompanied by a written commitment from the processing factory on the origin of products, or a catch certificate.
Nguyen Viet Manh, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), informed that these documents must be checked by authorised agencies in the importing countries before commodities are transported to their ports of entry. It is told that the EU regulation bans the import of illegally-caught seafood products. In cases where seafood exporters import materials from other countries, and include them in products for export, the same regulations on the certification and authorisation of such materials apply.
It also requires that catch certificates and commitments by processing factories must furnish details on fishing vessels, fishing zones, processing facilities, and export procedures, as well as the volume and types of seafood. MARD Deputy Minister Luong Le Phuong opined that under international law, fishermen have the right to fish in their territorial waters.
It is fact that the EU is now Vietnam’s largest seafood importer with 26 out of its 27 members importing products. In 2008, Vietnam’s seafood volume shipped to the EU accounted for over 40 percent of its total seafood exports and 25.4 percent of its total export turnover.
