Seafood exports to EU drop due to yellow card

Seafood exports of Vietnam to the EU market have been affected seriously, dropping by 6.5 percent to nearly US$390 million in 2018 and continuing to be stagnant in the first eight months of this year with $251 million after two years since the European Commission issued an official card warning against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) exploitation on Vietnamese seafood.
From the second place among seafood importers of Vietnam, after the yellow card, the EU fell to the fifth place with market proportion declining from 18 percent to 13 percent.

Implementing commitments to curb IUU fishing, enterprises have simultaneously stopped buying material seafood from illegal fishing boats and only bought seafood with clear origin and imported seafood which was exploited legally under regulations of the US and the EU. In addition, enterprises have been active in joining hands and collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant departments and provinces to carry out recommendations of the EU and participate in proposing, making suggestions, amending and completing legal framework.

The EU has not removed the yellow card on Vietnamese seafood because some fishing boats still exploit seafood illegally. In order to fight against IUU exploitation, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and provincial management boards of fishing ports continued to implement solutions and plans to resolve the matter of the yellow card, heading to sustainable development.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on September 25 cooperated with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers to hold a conference to assess the situation after carrying out the program to fight against IUU fishing for two years.

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