With the insistence of the European Union that lead level content of tuna be at 0.2 parts per million (ppm), Davao’s export on tuna will be badly affected.
Registered chemist Maria Loida Avorque of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR XI) in an interview said the cited level could mean a big reduction of exports especially to the European market.
Europe, she said, is the biggest market of the Philippines, which accounted for about 60 percent.
She said that although the US market is strict, they still allow fishes with lead level content between 0.3 to 0.5. She however said that most of the fishes comes from General Santos City although a good volume also comes from Davao. The level, she said, is too small that could no longer be detected by the existing laboratory equipment. “There are however some compromises made with the EU with us on meeting some of their requirements,†she said. “But then we do test and issue Hazard Analysis Critical Control Permit (HACCAP) to all export products to make sure that the stocks that are being shipped are within the standards,†she said. She also said that they are in the process of complying the EU laboratory requirement for ISO 17025 and they (EU) want to see that something is done about it.
She said although compliance need resources, they do it in coordination with other government agencies like the Bureau of Product Standards and the Department of Science and Technology to ensure that other requirements are acted upon even as she said that BFAR aims to meet it soon. “The EU is willing to help for as long as we do our part,†she said. She said there are plans of upgrading their equipment although the existing once are still efficient. She said out of the fees from the exporters for testing , BFAR XI was able to generate some P2 million for the first six months this year almost same figure that they earned for the whole year in 2005. She attributed the increase to the number of test that they administer which she said was also an indicator that the quality of fishes here are meeting international standards.
Other than that, she said they also served the testing of fish export from General Santos City.
It was earlier reported that the local tuna industry will ask the EU to reconsider its move to change the current regulation on lead level in fish as they want to maintain the level at 0.5 ppm.