MoIT counters false tra fish rumours

Tra fish processed at An Giang Fisheries Import Export Company in the southern province of An Giang.-VNA Photo Pham Hau

The conference was attended by representatives of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, local reporters and various businesses from both countries.

Hung said that a number of press reports and articles published recently did not have correct information about the production, trade and export of Vietnamese tra fish, which has affected the trust of Spanish customers and the reputation of Vietnamese tra suppliers.

As per European Union (EU) regulations, to export tra fish products to the bloc, enterprises and exporters have to clear many steps. For instance, every batch of tra products is inspected by EU-authorised centres. The EU also conducts annual examinations and checks the list of exporters.

Viet Nam exports tra fish products to 160 countries and territories across the world, making an estimated annual turnover of around US$1.66 billion. Breeding of tra fish has become one of the key businesses in the country, helping farmers improve their finances and contributing to reducing the negative effects of globalisation.

At the conference, VASEP representatives and Vietnamese exporters provided Spanish reporters and businesses with concrete, accurate information about the country’s tra fish industry.

Earlier this year, Spanish television channel Cuatro Broadcast had telecast incorrect, defamatory information on tra fish bred in Mekong Delta’s Cuu Long river. The report claimed that the fish are bred in unclean cages and given non-industrialised feed such as dead fish and other food waste, which it claimed is the reason why Vietnamese tra fish is inexpensive.

After the show, the Carrefour Group announced that it would stop selling tra fish products in its supermarket chain in Spain, Belgium and France. A number of schools in Spain also refused to buy Vietnamese tra fish.