Georgetown: With effect from February 3, 2018, the exportation of smoked and salted Siluriformes species of fish to the USA will be restricted until the necessary requirements as outlined by the Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are met, according to Chief Fisheries Officer, Mr. Denzil Roberts.
This was disclosed recently when the Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Veterinary Public Health Unit (VPHU), Ministry of Public Health, held a meeting in the boardroom of the Ministry of Agriculture with local seafood exporters to provide an update regarding restrictions on the exportation of smoked and salted Siluriformes species (catfish, gillbacker, cuirass, cuma cuma, hassar, kukwarri) to the United States of America.
Representatives from the VPHU, which is the Country Competent Authority to ensure the wholesomeness, safety and that the seafood products are fit for human consumption, informed the exporters that to access the USA export market, there is need to have accredited laboratories to test and certify every aspect of the preservation process involved in processing the fresh Siluriformes species into the smoked or salted product and Guyana presently does not have any such facility to perform this function.
The Chief Fisheries Officer further outlined that the Fisheries Department and the VPHU are in the process of completing the FSIS’s Review of Guyana’s Siluriformes Self-Reporting Tool (SRT), so as to ensure that Guyana would continue to export fresh and frozen Siluriformes species to the USA. Exporters present expressed their concern with the development and committed to working with local authorities to ensure that Guyana maintains access to the U.S. market for its seafood products.
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