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Deputy Head of the National Fisheries Quality and Veterinary Directorate (Nafiqaved) Tran Bich Nga said that Nafiqaved had received an official notice from VPSS saying that consignments of tra fish exported by four Vietnamese companies had been detained for food hygiene examination.
Mrs Nga said that the fish were suspected of being infected with bacteria, so violating Russian requirements.
Mrs Nga stressed that this examination was normal procedure, and that all imported consignments would be examined before they were distributed in Russia. While awaiting the results, the four Vietnamese companies that exported the tra fish have halted exports to Russia.
Other Vietnamese companies that have been licenced to export seafood to Russia can continue thier business.
All seafood items to be exported to Russia must now be inspected by the VPSS. Vietnamese companies must have certificates of food hygiene granted by VPSS to be eligible to export seafood to Russia.
Two months ago, VPSS officials visited Vietnam to examine fishing ports, fish markets, aquaculture and seafood processing establishments, to find out if Vietnamese aquaculture and seafood processing establishments were following their requirements on food hygiene. VPSS has announced that most of the 27 processing establishments it inspected in March meet VPSS requirements.
Mrs Nga said that the Ministry of Fisheries and Nafiqaved were proposing the application of a probability inspection scheme. Under the scheme, quarantine agencies will inspect import consignments at random. If agencies find prohibited substances or anti-biotic residues at high concentration in seafood, they will order the destruction of the imports and refuse to import products from the violating companies.