All Vietnamese tra fish (pangasius) imports to the US will be inspected, 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.
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