Delay in granting food safety certificates causes many fishing boats to "stay ashore"

While the fishing season is at its most favorable time of the year, many fishing boats of fishermen in Ho Chi Minh City are stuck in the process of obtaining Food Safety Certificates.

This situation not only causes dozens of boats to stop operating, but also directly affects the livelihoods and income of hundreds of seafarers.

In late October, at Tan Phuoc fishing port, Long Hai commune, dozens of fishing boats anchored for a long time, making the normally bustling port atmosphere quiet.

Ms. Bui Thi Kim Nhung, a fisherman in Phuoc Tan hamlet, Long Hai commune, said her family has completed most of the procedures and is only waiting for the Food Safety Certificate to be able to go out to sea to fish.

“The authorities promised to have the papers by October 25. Trusting the appointment, I paid for the labor, bought ice, loaded the boat with food and fishing gear, and got ready to set sail. But when I went to get the papers, I was told they were not yet available. Without the papers, the boat cannot leave the port,” Ms. Nhung confided.

Up to now, Ms. Nhung’s fishing boat has been “staying ashore” for a full month. “Every day it stays ashore means a loss of revenue. The hired workers have been waiting too long, some have left to find other boats,” Ms. Nhung added.

In the same situation, Mr. Tu Thanh Tung, a fisherman in Tam Thang ward, said he submitted an application to reissue the Food Safety Certificate a month before it expired, but has not yet received it.

“The old papers have expired, and we don’t have new ones yet. The boats are idle, and we fishermen are suffering in every way. I hope the authorities will speed up the issuance of papers so that we can go out to sea in time for the season,” said Mr. Tung.

According to many boat owners, to get a Food Safety Certificate, they have to wait without knowing when it will be available. Meanwhile, fishing time depends greatly on weather conditions, so if it is delayed for just a few days, fishermen can lose the whole season, which means they will not have income to support their families.

Many fishermen expressed concern about the regulation requiring seafood fishing vessels to have a Certificate of food safety eligibility, even though in reality they only catch raw seafood, not processed.

“My boat only pulls in fresh fish, shrimp, and squid, and sells them to traders or purchasing facilities. Yet I still have to go through the procedure of applying for a food safety certificate like a production facility. It’s very cumbersome and time-consuming,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Nho, a fisherman in Long Hai commune.

According to the new regulations after the reorganization of the agricultural and environmental sector, the issuance of Food Safety Certificates for fishing vessels of 15 meters or more in length is under the authority of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. However, the decentralization and authorization process has not been completed, leading to a bottleneck in the process of signing and issuing documents to fishermen.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance said that up to now, the unit has assessed and submitted more than 100 dossiers that are eligible for certification, but have not yet been signed and confirmed by the City People's Committee.

“We have received many complaints from fishermen about being stuck just waiting for this document. Some ships have appointment papers but the border guards still cannot let them leave port because the regulations do not allow it, which will affect the fight against IUU fishing,” he said.

According to the procedure, after the fishermen submit the application, the Department will appraise the actual situation. If the requirements are met, it will submit to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City to issue a decision to establish an appraisal team, before sending it to the City People's Committee for approval. However, because the City People's Committee has not yet decided to delegate authority to the competent department or agency to sign, all documents must wait for instructions.

Ms. Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the department has sent a document to the City Border Guard Command, requesting coordination to create conditions for ships that have been assessed as "qualified" for food safety to temporarily set sail while waiting for official certification.

“We understand the difficulties of fishermen, so we have proactively advised on solutions to avoid prolonged situations where boats are stranded on shore, causing economic damage,” said Ms. Na.

According to statistics from the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance of Ho Chi Minh City, as of November 10, the whole city had 491 "3 no" fishing vessels (no registration, no inspection, no food safety certificate); of which, 205 vessels had expired food safety certificates and were waiting for re-issuance.

If the delay continues, this number will increase, putting great pressure on fisheries management and combating IUU fishing.

Previously, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) was allowed to issue this type of certificate. But after the merger, the procedure had to be submitted to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City for signature, leading to delays.

The fisheries management unit also recommended that there should soon be a specific authorization mechanism for the Fisheries Sub-Department and Fisheries Control. This is the unit that understands the reality and works directly with fishermen, so letting the Sub-Department proactively issue certificates as before will significantly reduce waiting time.

In addition, many opinions suggest that the regulations on granting Food Safety Certificates should be considered to suit the reality. For vessels that only exploit raw seafood, without preliminary processing or processing activities, there should be a simpler certification mechanism to avoid causing inconvenience and expense.

Fishermen hope that authorities will quickly complete the decentralization process and issue flexible mechanisms so they can continue to go to sea.

While waiting for a resolution, ships that have been assessed as meeting requirements and have clear appointments should be allowed to temporarily leave port - along with close supervision to ensure safety and compliance with regulations./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cham-cap-giay-chung-nhan-an-toan-thuc-pham-nhieu-tau-ca-phai-nam-bo-post1076299.vnp