The European Union (EU) is considering a ban seafood imports from Malaysia following an April health inspection of the Southeast Asia nation’s seafood processing companies.

A proposal for emergency suspension of seafood products from Malaysia was recently drafted by the European Commission (EC) and the final decision will be made by 18 June, said EC official Geert Anckaert.

"The outcome is still under consideration," Anckaert told the Associated Press.

The health inspection was precipitated by an earlier warning of hygiene shortcomings within the industry, he said.

After the initial discovery of problems in health safety in 2005, the EU launched a programme to inform local fishery officials about EU health regulations.

The April inspections were sent to verify how well Malaysian companies had adapted to EU exports standards, reports The Star.

In the inspections, representatives from the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office and Malaysian health officials made surprise visits to the ports, vessels, and aquaculture facilities of nine different seafood companies.

Two-thirds of the companies didn’t fulfill standard EU regulations, according to the EU.

The six companies that failed inspection were immediately blacklisted from exporting to Europe.

The EU is also concerned about Malaysia's ability to trace and counter the spread of diseases, said the document.

There were complaints about the lack of wash basins used to clean fish onboard ships before transferring them to port, said a Malaysia Fisheries Department spokesman who declined to be named.

Malaysian authorities are addressing the issue, said Noraini Mohamad Othman, a Health Ministry official in charge of food safety.

However, health officials from Malaysia had not responded to the EU at the time of writing.

“The Malaysian authorities must promise to step up enforcement professionally, not just at processing factories but also at landing ports and fish farms,” said a spokesman for the Malaysian Frozen Foods and Processors Association (MFFPA).

Last year 40 to 50 Malaysian seafood companies exported EUR 102 million worth of seafood to Europe, according to the EU.

By Elana Fiske
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com