08:00 25/02/2024

Brazil suspends imports of Vietnamese tilapia pending virus screening

Thanh Thủy

Concerns raised of the risk of disease from Vietnam tilapia exports, which totaled $6 million to the South American country in 2023.

Brazil has suspended its imports of Vietnamese tilapia while waiting for screening results on the risk of disease caused by the Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), according to the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQPM) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The NAFIQPM has recommended that seafood processing facilities on the list of exporters to Brazil stop exporting tilapia to the Brazilian market, starting from February 14.

At the same time, they were requested to proactively update, research, and organize the proper implementation of regulations in the process of producing and processing seafood and exported aquatic products to Brazil.

Vietnam’s tilapia exports reached more than $6 million in 2023, up 42 per cent year-on-year, figures from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) show.