HANOI: The Vietnam government contends the ban by the Australian Department of Agriculture on raw imports is ‘causing serious damage’ to the country’s shrimp farmers and exporters, and has requested it be reversed.
Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce announced a six-month suspension on the import of raw shrimp this past January, following an outbreak of white spot disease in the northeast state of Queensland.
Vietnam Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Tran Quoc Khanh, has now asserted the ban has damaged the country’s shrimp farming industry that on average exports roughly US$55 million worth of raw product to Australia annually.
Deputy Minister Tran recently stated that the ban is not in line with common practices and the spirit of nurturing and enhancing the existing good trade relationship between the two countries.
The Deputy Minister pointed out that the temporary ban on uncooked shrimp was issued with no advance warning for Vietnamese shrimp exporters to take needed actions to avoid large economic losses.
In addition, Deputy Minister Tran noted there is no hard evidence as to the cause of the breakout of white spot disease in Queensland and maintained that it is premature to blame Vietnamese exports.
Absent evidence of a causal relationship between Vietnamese shrimp exports and the breakout of the disease, Tran suggested the ban may be in contravention of certain World Trade Organization agreements.
Australian ABC news reports that the Seafood Importers Association of Australia has taken a position that favors lifting the ban, saying it damages the international trade reputation of Australia.
Deputy Minister Tran noted he respected the sovereignty of Australia and the biosecurity concerns, but nonetheless asked the Australian Department of Agriculture to reconsider the propriety of the ban.
Vietnamese uncooked shrimp products have been exported to many countries around the globe, said the Deputy Minister, without any reports of white spot disease or other biosecurity concerns having arisen.
