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Sweden planning to export high dioxin fish to Russia?
Courtesy FoodHACCP.com
Murmansk, Russia:
19 December 2001
The Russian news agency Rosbalt has reported that Sweden may be planning to sell Russia and the newly independent Baltic states fish which is above the new EU maximum levels for dioxins.
The EU recently introduced new upper levels for dioxins, and granted a derogation to Sweden and Finland to offer fish which does not conform to the new levels on their domestic markets. Both countries are banned from exporting the fish to other EU member states.
According to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, as quoted by Rosbalt, cod is the only fish caught by Swedish fishermen in the Baltic Sea which satisfies the new requirements. This means they have to find new markets for their herring and sprats. Russia and the former Soviet Baltic republics could be the main target.
The export of Swedish sprats to Baltic countries has shown considerable growth in recent years to reach 15,000 tonnes in 2001. Sprats from Latvia and Estonia are very popular on the Russian market and successfully compete with domestic production.
Rosbalt's report says that there is a plan to expand Swedish fishexports to Russia using state subsidies. It also says that the Swedish authorities are reportedly recommending that women of child-bearing age should not eat Baltic sprat, herring or wild salmon and trout because of the high content of dioxin.
One of the terms of the EU derogation is that Sweden and Finland should ensure that adequate health warnings to vulnerable groups are publicised.
For further information please go to
http://foodhaccp.com/msgboard.mv?parm_func=showmsg+parm_msgnum=1001033
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