[Industry news] US commences inspections over all catfish imports from Vietnam

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All batches of Vietnam’s catfish products that are imported to the United States will undergo quality inspection at the warehouses designated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), before being put into circulation in the country, starting August 2.

Specifically, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will conduct inspections over all Vietnamese tra fish (pangasius) imports at the official import inspection facilities beginning from August 2, instead of September 1 as previously announced.

FSIS’s inspections over tra fish batches include the adaptability of certificates enclosed with consignments, labelling, general hygienic conditions, residue sampling and the identification of pathogenic species and microorganisms.

Regarding the group of chemicals and antibiotics, FSIS will conduct multi-residue testing over 108 plant protection substances, 89 antibiotic substances, 17 metals and four dyeing substances.

As for the exporters found with food safety violations, all of their following catfish batches will be required to undergo sampling in order to test 85 indicators in antibiotics and 106 indicators concerning plant protection drugs.

The USDA has officially implemented the catfish inspection programme, including Vietnamese tra fish, since March 1, 2016, but it initially offered an 18-month transition period, giving foreign suppliers time to make changes needed to comply with the USDA’s requirements.

During that transition period, Vietnamese catfish exports to the US still underwent the USDA’s inspections, however this was done only by random inspection.