Efforts made to control disease safety in shrimp exported to Australia

Specifically, businesses have to take measures to control risks of white spot and yellow head diseases in material shrimp before processing.

For processed shrimp, businesses should send samples of each batch to laboratories appointed by the MARD for disease tests.

Certificates of qualified batches should be submitted to the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (Nafiqad) for food safety checks in line with Australia’s regulations.

The Nafiqad is also responsible for issuing certificates to each batch of export goods.

The MARD assigns the department to guide businesses in how to implement the procedures.

In addition, exporters and processors have to ensure the origin tracking dossier of each batch.

On January 7, the Australian Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources announced the suspension of prawn and uncooked shelled shrimp imports from Asian nations, including Vietnam, in fear of white spot disease outbreaks in Australia. The ban took effect on January 9 and lasts for six months.

In June, the department lifted the ban.

Last year, Vietnam exported US$114.6 million worth of shrimp products to Australia, of which processed shrimp made up 78% of the total.