The European Union is threatening to impose import restrictions on Bangladeshi shrimp exporters unless they strictly ensure product quality, Asia Pulse reported today.
The warning follows an unfavorable report by a European Commission delegation, which visited Bangladesh recently. The EC plans to launch a new system of testing shrimp to detect the presence of several potentially harmful substances used in shrimp aquaculture, including chloramphenicol, nitrofurans, tetracycline and malachite green.
The EC intends to stop importing shrimp from Bangladesh if more than the permissible level of any potentially harmful substance is found.
The EU has returned 300 containers of tainted shrimp over the last few months.
To remedy the situation, Bangladesh officials met with the EU's deputy assistant director in April to assure that Bangladesh would step up efforts to ensure the quality of its shrimp.
