Australia eases shrimp import suspension
The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has announced that the government decided to lift the shrimp import suspension on some products, according to the Vietnam Commercial Office in Australia.
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Seasoned shrimp and uncooked seasoned shrimp meat will be exempt from the suspension, with imports allowed from July 12, as long as the products meet the country’s strict requirements.
They must be certified as free from the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and yellow head virus (YHV) by vet agencies in exporting countries and meet requirements in the draft veterinary certificate.
Australia’s vet agencies will inspect imports at border gates, including checking quarantine seals and taking samples for WSSV and YHV tests.
In total, the Australian government has excluded seven shrimp products from the suspension, including dried prawns and shelf-stable prawn-based food products, irradiated bait for aquatic use, pet fish food and aquaculture feed, uncooked prawns sourced from Australia’s exclusive economic zons, uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat sourced from Australian territory, uncooked Australian wild-caught prawns exported to Thailand for processing in a facility approved by Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, and re-exported to Australia, seasoned prawns and uncooked seasoned prawn meat.
Vietnam is among the four largest seafood suppliers to Australia, occupying 11.2% of the market share. Its shrimp export value to Australia annually exceeds US$100 million.
