The Ministry of Industry and Trade provides information on food safety and animal and plant quarantine (SPS) regulations of WTO member countries that affect agricultural exports.

The Import-Export Department - Ministry of Industry and Trade received Document No. 396/SPSBNNVN dated August 12, 2024 from the Vietnam SPS Office - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the request to notify and provide comments on the draft regulations on SPS measures of WTO members in July 2024.

Performing the task of notification and Q&A on SPS, the Import-Export Department - Ministry of Industry and Trade informs about 99 notifications, including 72 drafts and 27 legal documents in effect regulating food safety and animal and plant quarantine (SPS) of WTO member countries that may affect Vietnam's agricultural export products to your Agency.

Market regulations affect Vietnam's agricultural exports (Photo: Government Electronic Information Portal)

In particular, the Import-Export Department - Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends paying attention to some of the main contents of the announcement as follows:

- EU bloc: (1) Draft amendments to the maximum residue levels (MRL) for acetamiprid, fenbuconazole, penconazole and zoxamide; (2) Regulations on updating the import certificate form for gelatin, highly refined products and synthetic products for human consumption; (3) Extension of acetic acid, calcium acetate and sodium diacetate as feed additives for fish; (4) Extension of the license for Levilactobacillus brevis DSM 23231, Lentilactobacillus buchneri NCIMB 30139, Lentilactobacillus buchneri DSM 22501, glycosylated 1,25dihydroxycholecalciferol extracted from Solanum glaucophyllum as feed additives for animals; (5) Draft on the import of used cooking oil for technical purposes; (6) Measures to prevent the introduction and spread of Xylella fastidiosa bacteria; (7) Regulations on antibiotics for the export of animals or products of animal origin intended for human consumption; (8) Regulations on the prohibition of the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in the production of materials and articles in contact with food.

- China: (1) Measures for supervision and quarantine management of imported and exported medicinal materials; (2) Draft of the standard to replace GB 2726-2016 applicable to cooked meat; (3) Draft of the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Lead Contamination in Food, General Principles for Labeling of Prepackaged Foods; (4) Regulations on the Control of Acrylamide Contamination in Food; (5) Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of 3-MCPDE and GE Formation in Refined Oils; (6) Technical requirements and testing methods for food additives brown oak shell; (8) Standards for food additives ammonium carbonate, paprika extract, dibutyl hydroxytoluene, L-malic acid; (9) Hygienic standards for dried fruits; (10) Addition of 47 pests.

- Canada: (1) Proposed maximum residue limits (MRLs) for metsulfuron-methyl, dimethenamid, abamectin, bromoxynil, trifloxystrobin; (2) Approved the 2024 Feed Regulations. - Japan: Approved maximum residue levels (MRLs) for tribromsalan, ormetoprim, cyphenothrin, clostebol, prothioconazole, fluxapyroxad, fenamiphos, dimethomorph.

- United States: (1) Establishing tolerances for residues of spiromesifen, in certain products; (2) Withdrawing the regulation allowing the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food.

- Korea: (1) Standards and Specifications for Food Additives; (2) Revising the list of food ingredients.

- United Kingdom: (1) Proposes to apply MRL of active ingredient mehidathion in certain products; (2) Updates the list of species at risk of being a source of infection for aquatic animals.

- Thailand: Import conditions for food at risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy; (2) Issues the Standard “Code of Practice for Inspection and Reception of Durian at Collection Units and Packers”.

- Australia: (1) Adjust the maximum residue limits (MRLs) of cyazofamid, 2,4-D, emamectin, flonicamid, fluopyram, fluxapyroxad, isocycloseram, mesotrione, methoxyfenozide, metolachlor, metribuzin and quinoxyfen and mefentrifluconazole; (2) The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry introduces the AusTreat Scheme.

- Indonesia: Document requirements when importing animals and animal products, fish and fish products, plant and plant products into Indonesia.

See summary information and detailed content of the announcements here.

The Import-Export Department recommends that agencies disseminate and widely inform businesses, members and businesses in the area to know and proactively plan appropriate business plans.

In case the above SPS regulations are likely to have a direct and multi-dimensional impact on the export activities of agricultural products and food of enterprises, please promptly respond to the Vietnam SPS Office (address: No. 10 Nguyen Cong Hoan, Ba Dinh, Hanoi; phone: 024 3734 4764; email: spsvietnam@mard.gov.vn) or the Import-Export Department - Ministry of Industry and Trade (address: No. 54 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi; phone: 024 4440 5310; email: xnkns@moit.gov.vn) for appropriate handling measures to avoid affecting the progress of exporting goods.

Source: Cong Thuong Newspaper