Brazil lifts ban on import of tilapia fish from Vietnam

The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) has lifted a suspension on Vietnamese tilapia fish imports, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Brazil.

Previously, in February 2024, the MAPA decided to temporarily suspend the import of Vietnamese tilapia to review the risk of TiLV (Tilapia tilapinevirus) infection. From November 2023 to February 2024, Brazil granted 22 import licenses for tilapia fillets from Vietnam and rejected two others.

The Brazilian government said that allowing tilapia fish imports from Vietnam is an irreversible decision and is part of its negotiations in late March to open the beef market in Vietnam. The MAPA affirmed that this import authorization does not affect the high standards of national health defence.

Based on the Import Risk Analysis (ARI) conducted following warnings from the domestic fisheries industry in 2024 regarding the potential introduction of TiLV through imports, the MAPA concluded that the risk of importing tilapia fillets is negligible.

The restoration of Vietnamese tilapia fish exports to Brazil is expected to contribute to increasing the bilateral trade between the two countries, towards the two-way trade turnover target of $15 billion by 2030.