Draft law gets tough on imports

A draft proposal that calls for stricter management of contaminated imported animal products has led to disagreement between food companies and health officials.

"All imported animal products that are contaminated must not be irradiated but re-exported or used for other purposes".

The draft regulation, proposed by the HCM City Animal Health Department, was discussed by representatives of the department and 50 businesses on Wednesday.

"All imported animal products that are contaminated must not be irradiated but re-exported or used for other purposes," said Bui Quang Anh, head of HCM City Department of Animal Health, during the meeting.

Under the draft regulation, imported animal products would also be subject to Customs storage for sample testing.

Many business representatives at the meeting disagreed with the draft law.

"Irradiation is an effective method used by most developed countries including the US, Canada and others," said Minh Hien, export manager of Vissan, a food company.

The Loc Thinh Phat joint stock company said that re-exporting the imported animal products would "not be easy since partners require businesses to have international legal certificates on the products’ status."

Companies also asked city authorities to re-consider the customs storage requirement because the costs would be too high.

"It usually takes one week to complete sample testing, so it costs around VND20 million (US$1,122) for customs storage," one manager of a business in HCM City said.

In response to importers’ concerns, Anh said that the municipal authority would consult the Ministry of Health about the use of irradiation.

Irradiation destroys microorganisms, bacteria and viruses in food, and is used to sterilise packaged food for storage at room temperature or to delay spoilage or ripening.

"The ultimate goal is to create mutual understanding and co-operation between importers and the city’s Department of Animal Health so we can discover the appropriate solutions on this matter to ensure consumers’ health and legal rights," Anh added.

VietNamNet, VietNamNews

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