Seafood exporters to reject proposed EU export rules

Philippine seafood exporters will reject a proposal by the European Union (EU) to impose more stringent rules for the entry of marine products through a new food code or standard.

A Philippine delegation led by Dr. Alicia Lustre, executive director of the Food Development Center (FDC) will be presenting the country’s position before the Codex Alimentarious Commission (CAC) Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) which will hold a plenary meeting from March 14-21 this year in Tanzania. The CCFAC meeting is a prelude to the CAC round in July to be held at The Netherlands.

A draft country position paper states that the Philippines will negotiate with the CCFAC to put the new maximum level of lead contaminants on fish, marine and aquaculture products to 0.6 parts per million (ppm), instead of the 0.2 ppm being pushed by some countries of the EU.

Lustre explained earlier that it will be difficult for seafood exporters to comply with a lower lead content for its products. There is no existing methodology than can bring down the lead content of marine and fishery products to the level of 0.2 ppm.

Moreover, EU’s insistence on the establishment of maximum level by fish and marine species, will create problems since it is difficult to gather data for all species, she said.

There is also no criteria that has been developed and will serve as the basis for determining if lead is considered a significant contributor to health risk.

Also there is no concrete evidence yet that exposure to lead through fish consumption is a health hazard. She added that more information should be gathered on analytical methods and detection limits.

Getting a favorable ruling from the CCFAC is critical to countries like the Philippines objecting to the EU’s protectionist lobby. Once the EU’s proposal gets approved at the CCFAC level, it will be an uphill climb to have the new rule reversed at the CAC general meeting.

CAC is the international body tasked to develop a food code known as Codex Alimentarius, the global reference point for harmonized or uniform food standards to ensure the protection of public health and fair practices in the food trade. CAC will also finalize new food safety checks on other products, including dairy, meat, food crops, vegetables and plants.

To beef up its position, the Philippines is initiating moves to get the support of other members of the ASEAN, which are exporting similar products to the EU.

A source said the Philippines is now talking to other ASEAN members through the ASEAN Task Force on Codex. So far, only Thailand has expressed its support. Last year, the ASEAN representative from Thailand to the CCFAC Dr. Pakdee Pothisiri, director general of the Ministry of Health of Thailand, indicated his country will back up the Philippine position.

The other members of the ASEAN are Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam. – Rocel Felix