Two circulars will be amended to remove obstacles to seafood exports.

(Chinhphu.vn) - The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection has submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment a plan to amend and supplement Circular No. 74/2025/TT-BNNMT and Circular No. 81/2025/TT-BNNMT using a simplified procedure, expected to be completed before June 15, 2026.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP), Vietnam's exports of wild-caught seafood to the two major markets of Europe (EU) and the United States are facing worrying bottlenecks arising from inconsistent administrative procedures.

For the EU market, a major bottleneck lies in the lack of uniformity in how volume information is recorded across different document forms (S/C, C/C, P/S) according to various regulations.

For the US market, the main obstacle lies in the COA issuance procedure. Businesses face difficulties in processing documents at local fisheries and aquaculture inspection agencies, especially those related to imported raw materials.

VASEP recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment promptly review and issue unified guidelines on forms and methods for recording information on export documents to the EU, direct localities to reissue certificates for shipments exported before April 13th; and promptly amend and supplement Circular No. 81/2025/TT-BNNMT to thoroughly address shortcomings arising in practice.

For the US market, it is proposed that Circular No. 74/2025/TT-BNNMT be urgently amended to streamline the procedures for issuing Certificates of Analysis (COA), while also strengthening training for enforcement agencies and businesses.

The Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment responds to this issue as follows:

The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection has sent a document to VASEP and the local Department of Agriculture and Environment to clarify issues regarding the certification of seafood and seafood products for export to the US market, in order to promptly resolve obstacles and help businesses continue exporting to the US market.

Regarding the early review and issuance of unified guidelines on forms and methods for recording information on export documents to the EU:

In implementation of Regulation No. 2023/2842 of October 22, 2023, issued by the European Commission (EC), amending certain European Commission regulations, including those concerning illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, effective January 10, 2026, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection advised the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to issue Circular No. 81/2025/TT-BNNMT dated December 31, 2025, regulating the recording and submission of fishing reports and logs; inspection of fishing vessels and monitoring of fisheries production at fishing ports; a list of fishing vessels engaged in illegal fishing; and verification of raw materials and certification of origin of harvested seafood.

During the implementation process, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection received feedback from several seafood export businesses regarding the differing and inconsistent requirements among EU member states for the new regulations of the European Commission (EC). Through the email address for receiving requests for verification of certificates of origin for seafood harvested in Vietnam, the Department has received two verification requests from the competent authority in Austria since the beginning of the year; these requests have been addressed and the shipments have been cleared.

Regarding the difficulties faced by businesses in other EU countries, the Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection Department chaired two meetings with representatives from VASEP and the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development to discuss and resolve issues for seafood export businesses.

The parties have agreed on a solution, and the Department has issued a document guiding the implementation of issuing Certificates of Origin (CC) for harvested seafood and resolving difficulties in the process of implementing PS for seafood products exported to the EU.

To ensure uniformity and consistency in seafood export documentation to the EU market, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection has directly contacted the European Commission (EC) to discuss and propose a plan for issuing Certificates of Conformity (CC) and Products of Substitution (PS) that is appropriate to the actual situation of Vietnam's fisheries. The Department has received an official response from the EC and is currently advising the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to issue a directive to implement the new EC guidelines.

Regarding the content, it is proposed that Circular No. 81/2025/TT-BNNMT be amended and supplemented promptly to thoroughly address shortcomings arising in practice. For the US market, it is suggested that Circular No. 74/2025/TT-BNNMT be urgently amended to streamline procedures for issuing Certificates of Analysis (COA), while also strengthening training for enforcement agencies and businesses.

The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection has submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment a plan to amend and supplement Circular No. 74/2025/TT-BNNMT and Circular No. 81/2025/TT-BNNMT using a simplified procedure, expected to be completed before June 15, 2026.

To ensure that the Circular amending and supplementing the aforementioned Circulars is consistent with the actual situation and meets the export requirements of seafood exporting enterprises, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection requests VASEP to provide suggestions for amendments and supplements in accordance with Official Letter No. 1525/TSKN-BVNLTS dated May 11, 2026, regarding the review and proposal for amendments and supplements to several Circulars in the field of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection.

Chinhphu.vn

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/se-sua-2-thong-tu-de-go-vuong-xuat-khau-thuy-san-102260528110832154.htm