Removing difficulties for lobster exports to China: Checking origin, granting licenses to qualified businesses

SGGP 11/15/2023 10:08

Information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on November 14 said that the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has sent a report to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam on removing difficulties for businesses exporting lobsters in the Central region to the Chinese market (which has been stuck for unknown reasons since August 2023 until now).

Accordingly, the Vietnam Trade Office in China contacted and organized an online meeting between the General Administration of Customs of China (including the Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine Supervision; customs agencies in localities importing shrimp) and Vietnamese authorities (including the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development; Department of Fisheries; Vietnam Trade Office in China) to discuss the situation of exporting spiny lobster to China.

At the meeting, the China Animal and Plant Quarantine Supervision Department informed that since 2021, the country has revised the list of endangered wild animals that need protection, in which the spiny lobster has been included in the list of species that need level 2 protection. By May 2023, the Law on Wildlife Protection will continue to be revised, which stipulates the prohibition of catching, using, trading, and selling spiny lobster. The General Administration of Customs of China has notified (internally) to local customs agencies.

However, according to the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development, China only prohibits the import of wild-caught lobsters, not farmed lobsters. Customs clearance procedures and food safety inspections remain unchanged from before. For packaging facilities and lobster farming facilities for export, a list must be registered with specific information about the lobster farming facility. The Chinese Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine Supervision said that it will send a new registration form to Vietnam (through the Vietnam Trade Office in China) to review and register packaging facilities and lobster farming facilities exporting to China.

After receiving the registration list from the Vietnamese side, the Chinese side will organize online and/or direct inspections of breeding facilities and publish the list of Vietnamese facilities permitted to export to China on the website of the General Administration of Customs of China.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thao-go-kho-khan-cho-tom-hum-xuat-khau-sang-trung-quoc-ra-soat-nguon-goc-cap-phep-cho-doanh-nghiep-dat-yeu-cau-post714152.html