Australia relaxes requirements for Vietnam shrimp

HCMC - The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has for the fourth time eased requirements for shrimp imports from Vietnam, according to the Vietnam Export Portal to Australia (VIETNAMEXPORT).

Australia will resume shrimp imports from Vietnam from July 12, 2017. Shrimp exports to Australia must be certified to be free from yellow head and white spot diseases by authorities of exporting countries. Meanwhile, Australian agencies will retest all shrimp import shipments.

Besides, Australia announced to lift a ban on seven shrimp products, including dried and uncooked shrimp.

Even though they are already relaxed, the requirements of Australia remain tough for shrimp exporting countries.

As Australia is a potentially major shrimp importer of Vietnam, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to hire experts from Australia to support domestic shrimp farmers to make sure that Vietnamese shrimp meets the Australian requirements.

According to VIETNAMEXPORT, Australia consumes 50,000-60,000 tons of shrimp per year, with half of it imported from other countries. Vietnam is currently the fourth biggest shrimp exporter to Australia.