EU to Lift Ban on Chinese Wild Fish 'Soon'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 19, 2002

EU to Lift Ban on Chinese Wild Fish 'Soon'

The European Union will soon lift its ban on imports of wild fish from China, the European Commission delegation in China said Wednesday.

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The European Union will soon lift its ban on imports of wild fish from China, the European Commission delegation in China said Wednesday.

But eels and shrimps from China are still banned from the EU market except for those caught in the Atlantic.

The commission will formally approve the proposal and implement it "soon,'' said the delegation in a press release.

This is a good news for both Chinese producers and European consumers, said Ambassador Klaus Ebermann, head of the commission delegation to China.

European consumers will be able to have high-level protection and a guarantee of safety when they buy fish, he said.

The EU banned imports of Chinese poultry, rabbit meat, honey, molluscs, pet food and crustaceans such as frozen shrimps and prawns in January this year.

The ban met vehement opposition from Chinese trade officials, who denounced it as trade protectionism covered up by sanitary measures.

The ban was triggered by a customs inspection that reportedly found 24 batches of Chinese frozen shrimps contaminated with the forbidden antibiotic chloramphenicol.

Chinese trade officials said that the European Commission had spread the ban to a level that went beyond sanitary needs.

China and the EU have negotiated on the issue and they set up a mechanism to exchange information and co-operate with one another.

The European Commission has been lifting its ban gradually. It allowed some seafood imports in June and stopping enhanced entry inspections on some seafood.

The latest decision was based on information and legal guarantees provided by the Chinese side, said commission officials.

Eels and shrimps are still banned because of the difficulties in telling whether they have been farmed or are from the wild, they said.

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