Pakistan on Wednesday extended its arbitrarily imposed ban on seafood export to the EU till November 20 since the hygienic conditions at the fisheries are still poor. Fisheries officials told Business Recorder on Wednesday that the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) was not satisfied with the sanitary conditions and other arrangements at the auction halls namely K-I and K-II. The MFD had reviewed all reports on hygienic condition at the harbour and found them not satisfactory enough to let the seafood export to the EU resume, they added.
The MFD found the same deficiencies that had led to the ban on seafood export on September 9, 2015. An MFD letter also suggests that the FCS, which is responsible for maintaining hygienic condition at the fisheries, has failed to comply with its directions, which the department had laid down for improvement. The MFD had set October 20 deadline for FCS to meet its directions but the society officials failed to do so. "The MFD will not certify any seafood consignment coming from any of the auction halls and keep the suspension till November 20 just to ensure a hygienic fisheries handling system at the harbour," the officials said.
"No improvement has been observed and the competent authority has found that the hygienic condition of K-I & K-II auction halls, handling of seafood products in auction halls and on-board fishing vessels are not meeting the criteria laid down in the Annexure -I, II & III of Pakistan Fish Inspection and Quality Control Rules, 1098 and subsequent amendments," the MFD letter states. An official said that the MFD would now decide the resumption of seafood export after reviewing reports on the hygienic conditions.