Hanoi (VNA) - Malaysia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) announced on May 16 that it will tighten import controls on several seafood species from Thailand.
MAFS enforces the requirement for a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for siakap (seabass).
The temporary restriction involves the shrimp species Penaeus esculentes (brown tiger prawn), Fenneropenaeus merguiensis (banana prawn), Penaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp), Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) and Penaeus stylirostris (blue shrimp).
The restriction on shrimp will remain in place until the Thai authorities submit a complete official response to the questions issued by Malaysia, and is subject to further evaluation by the Malaysian authorities based on the response, the ministry said.
It added that the measure is aimed at strengthening national food safety controls, particularly to ensure that seabass and shrimp entering the local market comply with established safety and quality standards.
The ministry said the import control measures will be implemented in an integrated manner through cooperation with the Food Safety and Quality Programme under the Health Ministry, the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS), and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) at all entry points nationwide./.