Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page


ANNEX 2 - STATEMENTS FROM THE OPENING CEREMONY


Welcome Address by Dr. Sitdhi Boonyaratpalin
Director General, Department of Fisheries, Government of Thailand

Mr. He Changchui, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative FAO/RAP,

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the FAO-ASEAN Strategic Planning Workshop on Harmonization of Standards for Shrimp Export-Import to be held in Bangkok today.

As the host country, first of all I wish to express my sincere thank to the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok for their technical and financial support for this workshop. The occurrence of this workshop has been stemming from the result of the Eleventh Meeting of ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries by the end of May 2003 in Lao PDR. In that meeting, one of the important initiatives that Thailand proposed was the recent critical issue on antibiotic residues and the regulation and control system of those residues for cultured shrimp products among ASEAN countries. Although 75percent of the world shrimp trade has been exported from the Asian countries and mainly from ASEAN, there is still the issue from importing countries on the requirement for inspection and control system to assure the quality and safety standard for cultured shrimp products. And while exporting countries in ASEAN has tried to comply with those regulations, cooperation among ASEAN countries in this matter is still minimal. Each country has developed their own regulatory and inspection system which bring the success to the certain level. Moreover, the higher levels of food safety standard has continuously and increasingly been imposed to producing countries like ASEAN. Therefore to sustain an inter-regional trade with major importing countries, cooperation among ASEAN countries in recognition of regulatory and inspection system is indispensable. In doing so, it will enable member countries to strengthen shrimp inspection and control system for international recognition. At the same time, member countries could resolve food safety and quality problems arise in intra regional trade more efficiently. Moreover, to unify as a group of ASEAN, Thailand does believe that the cooperation in inspection will strengthen the negotiation with importing countries.

The recognition or harmonization of regulatory and control system will ultimately lead to the establishment of equivalence that will benefit mutually for both exporting and importing countries as well as protecting the health of consumers locally and regionally. It will finally serve to facilitate intra regional trade and minimizes the costs of regulations, inspection and transaction costs to the governments, industries, producers, and consumers by allowing the exporting countries to employ the most convenient means in its circumstances to achieve the level of protection desires by importing countries. It also helps to avoid unnecessary duplication in inspection of cultured shrimp products by both parties.

Thailand by the Department of Fisheries, appointed by ASEAN as a lead country of this initiative, has made effort to explore for appropriate institution to assist us on this issue. And during the past few months FAO/RAPA has accepted our request which kindly agreed to support technically and financially on this program starting with this strategic planning workshop on harmonization of standards for shrimp import-export. I, therefore, again wish to thank both FAO/RAPA and FAO Head Office in Rome for their support of the specialists to this workshop. I hope that this meeting will be a first and good step in bringing us a strategy or framework for the harmonization of standards for shrimp import and export for ASEAN. The implementation would be a major challenging step ahead that is hoped to lead us to reach an ultimate outcome of having reputation of "ASEAN Cultured Shrimp Products" as healthy, safety food for the world consumption.

Last but not least, I wish to welcome you all particularly our ASEAN colleagues and the specialists to this meeting. I hope you have a fruitful meeting and enjoy your stay in Bangkok.

Thank you.

Supporting Statement by Dr. Somsak Pippopinyo,
Assistant Director, ASEAN Secretariat

Honorable Dr. He Changchui, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific;

Dr. Sitdhi Boonyaratpalin, Director-General, Department of Fisheries of Thailand;

Distinguished Guests and Delegates from ASEAN Member Countries;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is indeed my great privilege to be invited to deliver the Opening Remarks at this auspicious occasion of the Opening Ceremony of this FAO-ASEAN Strategic Planning Workshop on Harmonization of Standards for Shrimp Export-Import. Please allow me, on behalf the Secretary General of ASEAN to thank FAO for the generous support and invitation extended to all ASEAN Member Countries, and to Thailand for hosting this workshop. I would like also to express our sincere appreciation to the international experts and resource persons who are here to share with us their knowledge and experiences in our efforts to harmonizing food safety and quality standards in fisheries products.

ASEAN Member Countries have since long given strong attention to those issues related to food safety. The increasing awareness and desire to improve food safety and agricultural trade as well as to enhance ASEAN competitiveness in food, agriculture and fisheries products have prompted Member Countries to work together in undertaking a number of cooperative programmes and activities on food safety.

ASEAN bodies that, in one way or another, involve in food safety issues include:

(i) ASEAN Expert Group on Food Safety (AEGFS) under The ASEAN Senior Officials on Health Development (SOMHD) which is responsible for formulating ASEAN Food Safety Policy and ASEAN Food Safety Improvement Plan (AFSIP);

(ii) The ASEAN Task Force on Codex (ATFC) under SOM-AMAF which coordinates ASEAN' s position on matters pertaining to the agenda items to be discussed at Codex Committees and Codex Alimentarius Commission meetings;

(iii) Product Working Group on Prepared Foodstuff under ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) which assists ACCSQ in addressing the elimination of technical barriers to trade for prepared food stuffs; and

(iv) ASEAN Sub-Committee on Food Science and Technology (SCFST) under the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST) responsible for promoting intra-ASEAN cooperation and collaboration, establishing databases for exchange of information, and increasing capabilities and improving infrastructure.

In addition, the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) have recently endorsed the establishment of an ASEAN Food Safety Network with the view to provide cohesive approach for the relevant sectoral ASEAN bodies in addressing the issues of non-tariff barriers related to food safety, that are facing the region's agricultural and fisheries trade.

To ensure appropriate coordination among the various existing ASEAN bodies, which have been handling the respective matters relating to food safety, the ASEAN Secretariat has been tasked to work closely with all ASEAN bodies to ensure effective and efficient coordination among us.

To me, it is no doubt that globalization and trade liberalization have contributed to the growing levels of international trade in agricultural and fisheries products. However, in liberalizing agricultural trade, the countries' commitments to reduce tariffs and subsidy policies, may have reinforced tendencies to use "technical standards" to protect domestic products.

For the past years, developing countries, including ASEAN, have witnessed alarming signals of those Non Tariff Barriers (NTB), in spite of the establishment of WTO in 1994 as well as the adoption of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), which suppose to prevent the WTO Members from arbitrarily and irrationally adopting any SPS measures. The proliferation of the numerous ASEAN bodies involved in food safety issues, as mentioned earlier, is a clear indication of the growing magnitude and complexities of the problems.

ASEAN Member Countries have become increasingly subject to the stringent and more requirements of several "technical standards", such as labelling, hygiene, drug residues and toxin. These will definitely have certain impacts on ASEAN trade. The recent EU application on zero tolerance of chloramphenicol as well as the newly developed analytical technique for detection of drug residue, for example, have proved to have profound effect, to a large extend, on shrimp exports from our region. Like many other NTBs, regardless of the soundness or unsoundness of the measures, which are still subject to further debate, these will clearly affect costs and therefore competitiveness of ASEAN shrimp products.

As you may be aware, the particular issues on zero tolerance and regulatory inspection and control system of antibiotic residues in shrimp products as well as their implications on trade have been discussed in several ASEAN bodies including SOM-AMAF, ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries (ASWGFi) and Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM). To address the problems, ASEAN Member Countries agreed to strengthen the following efforts:

(i) Promote the implementation of Good Aquaculture Practices;
(ii) Closely regulate and monitor the usage of antibiotics in the aquaculture practices; and
(iii) Develop national capacity including analytical capacity on lower detection limits, traceability and certification from relevant authority.

The ASWGFi has also recently agreed to establish an ASEAN network of cultured shrimp inspection authority to work together in addressing the issues of drug residues in shrimp products. The network is expected to provide scientifically and systematically appropriate inputs for timely decision of the ASWGFi as well as other parties concerned. As an initial step, this FAO-ASEAN Strategic Planning Workshop on Harmonization of Standards for Shrimp Export-Import is being conducted to discuss the strategies and work plan of the establishing network/task force.

Given expanding global economy and international trade of agricultural and food products as well as the increasing complexities of non-tariff barrier issues, it is difficult, if not at all impossible, for a country or any agencies within the ASEAN umbrella to single-handedly face the challenges alone. Effective collaborations and linkages among ASEAN countries to develop and implement mutual strategies are therefore necessary. The conduct of this workshop is therefore very timely.

I sincerely hope this workshop will give us the answers and help us address some of the technical difficulties we are currently faced at this stage of our fisheries development. I look forward to a fruitful discussion, over the next three days, with outcomes and recommendations that will further enrich our work both at national and regional levels.

To conclude the remarks, the ASEAN Secretariat would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Thailand, the appointed regional coordinator and the host country of this workshop, who has successfully adhered to its commitment to lead other ASEAN Member Countries in this initiative, and also to express our appreciation to other ASEAN Member Countries for their cooperation. We, at the ASEAN Secretariat, stand ready to assist in what ever way we can and to join hands with the Member Countries to meet the challenges that lie ahead of us in this important journey. With the traditional spirit of ASEAN cooperation and solidarity, we are confident that this initiative will ultimately achieve its objective.

We also hope that the international organizations, including FAO, too can continue to extend to us the necessary and required assistance to help us better meet the challenges of the harmonization exercise and the process we have started.

With that note, I wish all delegates a fruitful Meeting, and hope that your stay in Bangkok, my home town, will be a productive and an enjoyable one.

Thank you.

Opening statement by Dr. He Changchui
FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific

Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Director-General of FAO, I wish to welcome you all to the FAO-ASEAN Strategic Planning Workshop on Harmonization of Standards for Shrimp Import-Export. This workshop is a collaborative effort by FAO and ASEAN to address the critical issue of harmonization regarding quality and inspection standards in the ASEAN member nations for exported shrimp, as the lack of a strategic and cohesive approach in addressing the issue has already resulted in considerable lost opportunities for many Asian countries.

The ASEAN region represents some of the largest shrimp exporting nations in the world and its contribution to both the food security and the economies of these developing countries is considerable. In the year 2000, global aquaculture production exceeded 35 million metric tonnes with a value of over 52 thousand million US dollars. Although crustaceans represented only 4.8 percent of total production by weight, they comprised almost 21 percent of the value of global aquaculture. The tiger prawn is ranked first by value at over four thousand million US dollars and one recent estimate indicates that white shrimp produced in Asia are making an increasing contribution to the overall production of Asian farmed shrimp.

Developed countries have been the major markets for farmed shrimp over the last few years, and the market conditions in the USA are now the predominant factor affecting international market prices. Shrimp is the number one seafood consumed in the USA and imports have now reached 430 000 tonnes per year, worth 3.4 thousand million US dollars, and are still increasing.

The Japanese market is also important, with 80 percent of its imports coming from Asian countries (particularly Indonesia, Viet Nam and India) in 2002, compared to just 20 percent from Latin America.

Recently there have been a series of events that have impacted the ability of ASEAN and other Asian countries to export shrimp, especially to the European Union. The European market has been more difficult to penetrate due to consumer pressures regarding a range of issues that include sustainability criteria, traceability, contaminants and residues. Issues concerning antibiotics has lead to recent bans on importation and blacklisting of farmed shrimp from many Asian countries.

While it is true that agriculture subsidies and trade tariffs are the major issues in trade liberalization today, it is crucial that we address the technical issues, such as the harmonization of disparities in quality control and inspection standards if the obstacles to import bans by the developed nations are to be lifted. The harmonization of standards will not only result in substantial savings, but also contribute to environment, human health and sustainable agriculture; common standards could also enhance the reputation of the region as an exporter of safe products of consistent quality and composition, facilitating the access to international markets.

FAO recognizes the urgent need to address issues such as these, as demonstrated by its involvement in the SPS agreements which have played an important role in harmonizing sectoral international instruments on food safety within the framework of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. The importance of this area has also been acknowledged by ASEAN in incorporating a move towards harmonization in the ASEAN Strategic Plan, 1999-2004. As the world moves towards a system of food regulation based on food safety assessment, there will be an increasing need to evaluate existing, and/or establish new standards and regulations on a country by country basis.

In the year 2000, FAO, in collaboration with the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, considered that it would be timely to examine opportunities for action on a region-wide scale. A consultation was convened in Manila on 23-24 November 2000, immediately following the 7th ASEAN Food Conference and attended by 23 representatives from ten ASEAN countries.

The consultation recognized that differing priorities within the ASEAN countries makes regional negotiations and consensus difficult, especially when linked to the differing value and rate of growth of the fisheries sector. With respect to export products, the ASEAN countries frequently compete with one another, both for foreign and intra-ASEAN markets, further constraining cooperation and coordination.

Since the consultation, there has been increasing awareness of the WTO and its implications for regional and global trade. Opening of markets and fair and equitable trade are important concepts, but all too often circumvented by technical barriers to trade and lack of agreement on criteria or standards between importing and exporting countries. This highlights the necessity and importance of having a concerted voice in global decision making mechanisms, such as WTO and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, since quality and safety standards are fundamental to the criteria for market access. Within the fisheries sector, this has been most recently highlighted by the focus on antibiotic residues and restrictions on imports of farmed shrimp by some countries.

To address these critical emerging issues and in recognition of the need to raise the profile of these issues at a policy level, the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries meeting in Lao PDR in May 2003 developed an ASEAN Sectoral Task Force to harmonize quality and inspection standards for shrimp export and import in the region, nominating Thailand to act as the lead country.

As the lead country, Thailand, through the Department of Fisheries, requested FAO's assistance to organize this strategic planning workshop. FAO, in response to this important initiative of ASEAN members, is pleased to be able to provide both technical and financial support to this activity, particularly since it also involves collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on fisheries. I hope that this 'regional ownership' would be an important factor for informing policy makers from the ASEAN member states and for developing concerted actions to jointly address specific regional issues.

As you are aware that the aim of this strategic workshop is to develop a strategy that will assist in:

We hope that by Thursday you will be able to recommend what needs to be done to move forward on these important matters. It is my sincere hope that this workshop will provide the initial stimulus to facilitate the ASEAN member countries to undertake concrete follow-up actions on the issues of harmonization of standards for exported shrimp, as well as on the broader issues relating to the harmonization of safety and quality standards in seafood products.

In closing, I wish to thank the Department of Fisheries of the Government of Thailand for its generous assistance in the organization of this meeting. May I wish you fruitful deliberations and an enjoyable stay in Bangkok.

Thank you.


Previous Page Top of Page Next Page