In view that Seychelles export most of its fish and fishery

1
Private Standards Seychelles Perspective
Private Standards Seychelles Perspective
2
Economy

• Fishery industry is of great economic importance
  to the Seychelles.
  
• Most of our fish and fishery products are
  exported to the European Union.
  
• Canned Tuna, Fish (fresh/Frozen)
• Frozen Prawns, Other processed fish
• Fish oil

3
Private Standards

• For the time being, private standards have not
  yet had an impact on our export but we are
  foreseeing that it will in near future .
  
• In view that Seychelles export most of its fish
  and fishery to the EU market, compliance to
  requirements of their standards and technical
  regulations is our main challenge in view that
  the requirements specified therein are stringent
  when compared to the requirements of Codex
  International Standards and codes of practices
  relating to fish and fishery products.

4
Private Standards

• Advantage of Private Standards
• -International recognition for the exported
  Agri-food products
  
• -Bring economic benefit to the producers and
  country
  
• Disadvantage of Private standards
• put a lot pressure on the country in building
  capacity for compliance to the specified
  standards i.e in terms of infrastructure,
  equipment, competent personnel
• difficulty in accessing the European market

5
SPS related institutions

• Veterinary Services MENR - Dept ( NR)
• 1. animal animal products
• 2. fish fishery products
• Plant Protection Section MENR Dept (NR)
• Environmental Health Section MoH

6
SPS related legislations

• Animal (Diseases Import) Act 1981
• ( rev. in 1991)
• Export of Fishery Products Act 1996
• (rev. in 2005)
• Food Act 1987

7
Food Safety

• Veterinary Services (Competent Authority) of the
  Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has
  designated the laboratories of the Seychelles
  Bureau of Standards as the official testing
  laboratory for the testing of fish and fishery
  products which are exported.
• Test results issued by SBS are used by the CA to
  issue export certificates.
  
• At the last visit of the Food and veterinary
  inspection mission to the Seychelles, the CA was
  recommended that it is a requirement of the EU
  Commission Regulation EC No. 2073/2005 which came
  into force in January 2006, that the test method
  used for histamine analysis in fish and fishery
  products should be changed to HPLC method and
  that the laboratories to be accredited by the
  31st December 2009.

8
Food Safety

• The danger for Seychelles is that if SBS does not
  develop the capacity to test fish for compliance
  with the EU standards and technical regulations
  then we will not be able to export fish to the EU
  market as from 1st January 2010.
• The consequences for this loss will be too severe
  to the country socially and economically and
  could have a severe effect on the ability of the
  Government to meet the Millennium Development
  Goals, in terms of alleviation of poverty and
  diseases.

9
Technical Assistance

• Ministry of Finance has assisted SBS to purchase
  the HPLC but the bureau still need to obtain
  three other pieces of equipment in order to be
  able to make the HPLC operational.
• Recently an ACP/EU delegation visited SBS and
  toured the various facilities and understood the
  need for assistance in order for SBS to achieve
  accreditation.
• The COMESA Secretariat has been requested for
  assistance with the accreditation project.
  
• Assistance from PTB
• SADC has also agreed to send a mission to
  Seychelles to assess the need for capacity
  building with the accreditation project.
  

10

• Thank you