The draft circular on controlling the quality of seafood exports, from raw materials through to the finished products, presents many challenges to seafood exporters.—File Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub)— The draft circular on controlling the quality of seafood exports, from raw materials through to the finished products, presents many challenges to seafood exporters, says the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

The draft contained many amendments to existing Circular 55 and would not only focus on the control of quality of finished products before shipping.

If the draft was accepted, the department would assess the quality of the entire production chain, as well as batches of the finished product, the National Agro Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance Department said.

However, association deputy general secretary Nguyen Hoai Nam said the draft regulations on production and food quality standards were too strict and would create difficulties for exporters.

The draft stipulated firms must stop exporting products if they had more than three batches of similar products that failed to meet the quality and food safety standards of export markets.

Nam said producers received warnings from export markets for products that did not meet antibiotic residue standards.

Nam said antibiotics were introduced in the rearing process on aquatic farms so the department needed to push for more controls on their use. — VNS