RP protests EU plan to impose non-tariff wall vs marine products

The Philippines will seek ASEAN support for its position to oppose a move by The Netherlands-based Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to impose by 2003 more stringent rules for the entry of marine products to the European Union (EU).

Philippine seafood exporters are currently firming up a position paper calling for a compromise with the CAC to settle the issue of what can be allowed as the maximum lead content of marine products exported to the EU.

"We will seek the support of other ASEAN members through the ASEAN Task Force on Codex," said a source from the sub-committee on fisheries and aquaculture of the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) which is creating a delegation that will be sent to the CAC meeting in March 2003.

The same source said that ASEAN representative from Thailand to the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), Dr. Pakdee Pothisiri, director general of the Ministry of Health of Thailand, indicated his country will support the Philippine position.

A draft country position paper stated the Philippines will negotiate with the CCFAC to put the new maximum level of lead contaminants on fish, marine and aquaculture products to 0.4 to 0.5 parts per million (ppm), instead of the 0.2 ppm being pushed by some countries of the EU.

CAC, the international body tasked with developing a food code known as the Codex Alimentarius, the global reference point for harmonized or uniform food standards to ensure the protection of public health and fair practices in the food trade, is having a plenary session in March to decide on the new maximum level of lead and other heavy metal for seafood products.

CAC will also finalize new food safety checks on other products, including dairy, meat, food crops, vegetables and plants.

The Philippines will oppose the EU’s lobby because it will be difficult for seafood exporters to comply with a lower lead content for its products. There is no existing methodology than can bring down the lead content of marine and fishery products to the level of 0.2 ppm.

Earlier this year, the Philippines was able to convince the CCFAC to consider the country’s position.

The Philippine panel led by Dr. Alicia Lustre, director of the Food Development Center, pointed out that the establishment of maximum level by species, also being pushed by the EU, will create problems since it is difficult to gather data for all species.

She said that criteria should be developed to determine if lead is considered a significant contributor to health risk, since there is no concrete evidence yet that exposure to lead through fish consumption is a health hazard. She added that more information should be gathered on analytical methods and detection limits.