The European Union plans inspect every container of frozen shrimp arriving from Bangladesh for infectious germs. The inspections would take about two months to complete, delaying delivery from the arrival ports to European consumers.
The EU is the second largest market for Bangladeshi seafood, particularly frozen product. Currently, the EU is conducting random inspections on containers from Bangladesh.
On April 2, EU officials will meet with the Bangladeshi government and Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association to decide on the tests. Both entities will negotiate with the EU to continue the current random sampling tests. The Association spokesperson said that the Bangladeshi seafood industry has always followed EU food regulations.
During the 2006-07 fiscal year that runs July 1 to June 30 in Bangladesh, the countryâ??s total revenue for frozen seafood exports was more than U.S.$5 million. During the first half of the current fiscal year the country's frozen seafood exports have reached nearly U.S.$2.9 million.
