… after Govt dragged feet on new regulations since 2015
Based on the numerous concerns raised with regard to the recent ban imposed on the export of all Siluriformes fish and fish products (catfish species) from Guyana which is costing local fishermen millions, the United States (US) Government through its local embassy has said the Government was notified in advance of changes to the regulations so as to allow for the preparation for its eventual
implementation.
The embassy said the US Government takes very seriously the protection of the world’s waterways and marine life and is constantly updating our regulations and processes to ensure that waterways and marine life are protected. As such, a few years ago, they changed the process of complying with its local food safety regulations regarding fish and shrimp, among many others.
“We notified the Government of Guyana of these pending changes in November of 2015, more than 18 months before they were to go into effect. We even gave Guyana an extension until February 3, 2018 to comply with the new regulations,” the Embassy said in an issued statement Wednesday.
According to the US, most countries in the hemisphere have now complied with the regulations and it believed that Guyana eventually can and will comply as well. “We understand that the Government of Guyana is working on complying, but it has not fully met the standards of the new processes associated with the regulations and until it does, we cannot accept any catfish from Guyana,” it noted.
The US has in the past offered technical assistance to the Government to help Guyanese fisherfolk to comply. It said this offer still stands, but explained that it cannot be accomplished overnight. “Our goal is to ensure consistency in food safety regulations across products and countries and to protect marine life for future generations. This is a goal which we are sure all Guyanese share,” it concluded.
On Tuesday, PSC President Eddie Boyer had told this publication that the ban is nothing new but could be lifted if Government and private companies that are exporting work together to comply with the new requirements. He said it is not an impossible task but advised that they work diligently so as to lessen the economic impact this will have on the trade of these specific fish species.
Chief Fisheries Officer Denzil Roberts told sections of the media that the ban was imposed after it was found that the local Siluriformes fish and fish products’ inspection system was not equivalent to the US inspection system. Roberts was also able to confirm that the Veterinary Public Health Unit of the Public Health Ministry were not able to satisfy the requirements demanded by the US.
Guyana was unable to comply with several US conditions mainly due to factors such as modification of inspection procedures and outdated regulations, including those governing fisheries products, which Guyana is in the process of revising The Health and Agriculture Ministries have general oversight and responsibility for the sector and monitor and verify the quality of products.
Meanwhile, Veterinary Public Health Unit Director, Dr Ozaye Dodson has said the imposition from the US export market was just a temporary technical barrier to trade. Dr Dodson said the move by the USDA was a “protectionist measure” by that country’s public health system lobbied for by the catfish farmers who have invested heavily to develop the industry there.
The US Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) asked Guyana to provide the relevant documentation to verify this country’s inspection system equivalence to the US standards or its equivalent public health system. Dr Dodson claimed Guyana complied with the request.
However, the country fell short of the US standards in three areas: firstly, on the issue of the presence of inspectors; secondly, there was insufficient documentation detailing verification of each step in the sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process and thirdly, there was insufficient documentation specifying how the industry manages adulterated catfish products.
New US standards for import of catfish species demand the presence of inspectors at plants for one hour during an eight-hour shift. Dr Dodson explained that Guyana’s inspection system utilised a “risk-based approach”, which is a European Union (EU) standard.
Guyana was among several countries banned recently from the US catfish export sector.
