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Causes of detentions and rejections in international fish trade.

Year of publication 2005

Pages 126

Author Ababouch, L.; Gandini, G.; Ryder, J.;Fishery and Aquaculture Economics and Policy Division

Product type Book (series)

ISBN 9251052867

Series title FAO Fisheries Technical Paper

Series number 0429-9345 - T473

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Fish and fishery products are one of the major traded food commodities and this trade is likely to increase in the future to meet the ever increasing demand for fish and seafood. One of the most serious difficulties facing exporters is dealing with different standards and regimes of safety and quality requirements of the target markets. These differences concern regulations, standards and control procedures, including controls at the border where seafood products can be rejected, destr oyed or detained while awaiting resolution or destruction. In order to promote harmonization and equivalence among seafood trading nations, these differences need to be reduced and ultimately removed and replaced by international control systems and standards based on scientific techniques such as risk assessment. This paper analyses seafood detentions and rejections in the international trade focusing on the three largest fish and seafood importers – North America, European Union an d Japan. It is divided into four chapters including an introductory one. Chapter 2, after a general introduction, describes the international regulatory framework and details the import regulations in force for the European Union, United States of America, Japan and Canada providing a picture of what exporters face in each of these importing territories. Each major importing country/regions are then separately examined, with a look at border cases across a range of parameters: proble m type (microbial, chemical and other causes), species, geography, product type (fresh, frozen, cured, etc.). An analysis of the collective data for trends or patterns in border cases follows. The paper ends with a view towards the future and provides recommendations on what should change to improve fish safety and quality controls in international trade and examines the potential role of industry, governments and international bodies in this process.

Cite this content as:

Ababouch, L.; Gandini, G.; Ryder, J. Detentions and rejections in international fish trade. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 473. Rome, FAO. 2005. 110p.

Language English

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