|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
EU alert on Indian shrimps
|
|
Tuesday, 14 April, 2009, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Our Bureau, Mumbai
|
The EU has decided to impose emergency measures on crustacean shrimps imported from India which showed presence of harmful nitrofurans. The presence of this substance is forbidden in the EU since they represent a risk to human health. Rapid alerts were issued after Belgium reported the presence of nitrofurans in two consignments of the giant freshwater prawns as well as the presence of furazolidone in one consignment of Black Tiger prawns exported from India last month. The consignments were detained and not distributed. Similar alerts were issued when nitrofuran was detected in consignments of giant freshwater prawns exported from India to Belgium and Germany in February as well.
The Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health of the European Commission which met last week took the decision to impose emergency measures. This follows an earlier meeting of the committee in Brussels on March 24 that had produced a draft-legislation on the same issue. If the draft legislation is accepted, all crustacean imports from India would have to be accompanied by an analytical test result showing that the exported product is free from nitrofuran residues.
The Commission can ask member states to import crustaceans from India only if it can be shown that they are subjected to analytical test at origin and confirm that they do not contain metabolite of nitrofurans. Imports without analytical tests at origin need be permitted only if the importing country undertakes appropriate steps on arrival, the Commission recommended.
Realising the gravity of the situation, the government of India has quickly erected sufficient safeguards to protect the country's marine exports. Six new testing laboratories had been established and only tested consignments would be permitted for exports, said G Mohan Kumar, chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).
Over 90% of the rejections have come from consignments in Andhra Pradesh. Since rejections and alerts were not spread over a wide geographical area, strict screening measures could be implemented over a smaller territory, making the exercise far more effective, Kumar said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|