EU move to boost local fish industry

27 June 2002 | Gulf News, Abu Dhabi - Staff Reporter

The European Union's (EU) approval of the UAE as a third country exporter of fisheries products and farmed fish will enhance the prospects of the local fish industry, especially the International Fish Farming Co (Asmak), officials said.

A large portion of farmed fish from the UAE will now be destined to the EU markets as 60 per cent of the region's fisheries products' consumption come from outside.

The EU last week approved the UAE as a third country exporter of fisheries products and farmed fish to its markets.

The approval had taken a lot of efforts by the UAE in updating its health and hygiene standards to be in line with those of the EU, Asmak said yesterday.

UAE fisheries products exports to the EU was banned in 1998 due to the non-conformity to the European hygiene regulations which were based on the HACCP system (hazardous analytical critical control point) in their food establishments.

Asmak, in co-ordination with the authorities in the respective emirates took on the task of assisting the authorities with legislation, policing, monitoring, putting European standards and regulation within a new UAE legal framework that ultimately received acceptance from the European Union.

Asmak has worked in conjunction with the General Secretariat of Municipalities (GSM) UAE and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in developing and introducing a system of inspection and control which is equivalent to the conditions described in the European Council Directive 91/493 EEC on health conditions for the production and placing on the market of fishery products fit for human consumption and for aquaculture products a system of residue controls and residue monitoring programme.

Asmak is also implementing the HACCP system at its processing plant in Jebel Ali.

"Asmak ultimately will gain a huge benefit from this new development by securing one of the bigger markets in the world," said the statement, adding that the type of fish Asmak grows in its farms are very popular in the EU consumption list.

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