Exports of Vietnamese fresh produce to Europe are under a cloud following reports the European Commission has threatened an embargo due to repeated pest incursions.
According to a report by Vietnam News, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumers stated an embargo would be placed on imports of Vietnamese fresh produce if five more violations of its import regulations were detected.
In response the Vietnamese government has requested its plant protection department issue guidelines on EU requirements to fresh produce exporters.
Vietnamese exporters will now also have to show plant quarantine certificates before produce is cleared by customs, the newspaper reported.
Last year Thailand’s department of agriculture imposed strict regulations on exports to the EU after the European Commission issued a similar ultimatum stating it would enact a ban on aubergine, bitter gourd, basil, coriander and capsicum if more than five incursions were detected in the space of one year.
Thai exporters of these categories to the European Union must now be listed on what is known as the Establishment List. The list requires exporters source produce from national GAP-certified farms and use packhouses with GMP and HACCP certification.
