No ban on RP fishery exports to EU — DA

The Department of Agriculture (DA) denied yesterday reports that the European Commission (EC) has banned Philippine aquaculture exports to the European Union (EU) due to the alleged failure of the Philippine government to submit a monitoring report on harmful and contaminated substances affecting the exports.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr., undersecretary for fisheries, Cesar M. Drilon Jr. said the EC has received a 180-page report from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources (BFAR) attesting that the bureau had not detected any harmful substances in the country’s aquaculture exports, such as prawns, milkfish and tilapia. The EC has still to deliberate on the report.

"To date, the Philippines’ exports of aquaculture products have not had any problems with the EU in terms of the use of harmful or banned substances," said Drilon. "As a matter of fact, two shipments [of aquaculture exports have arrived at EU ports without any problems. Another one is expected to arrive on June 30."

Drilon was apparently referring to the shipments to Cologne and Hamburg, Germany, which arrived without any problems, according to DFA Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Delia Domingo Albert.

In his report to Lorenzo, Drilon said that as per preliminary observation of the Philippine agricultural attaché in Brussels, "there is hope or indication that there may not be any suspension at all of the aquaculture exports from the Philippines."