Wednesday, 5 March 2025, 13:30–16:00 hrs.

At Kuladam Meeting Room, Department of Fisheries

The Thai Frozen Foods Association, represented by Mr. Anucha Techanitisawad (President) and Mr. Nakorn Hankaivilai (Association Host), participated in the meeting to review the draft notification of the Department of Fisheries regarding Hygiene Standards for Fishing Vessels Exporting Aquatic Animals to the European Union, and the criteria for the issuance of health certificates. The key points of the meeting are summarized below:

1. Background

This meeting was convened following the inspection by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) of the European Union, which assessed Thailand’s fishery product control system for EU exports during 9–17 May 2023. The inspection focused on the production control system and the issuance of health certificates for fishery products exported to the EU.

The DG SANTE team identified discrepancies between Thailand's system and EU regulations. They recommended revisions to the Department of Fisheries’ Notification on Hygiene Standards for Fishing Vessels and the Certification Criteria (2023) to bring it into alignment with EU requirements. This meeting was therefore called to review the draft of the revised notification.

2. Comments from the Meeting

Representatives, especially from fishery associations, discussed the proposed hygiene standards for fishing vessels. Key concerns raised included:

Inspection of paint peeling in fish storage rooms onboard vessels

Use of containers that have not previously stored chemicals or oil

Use of repurposed oil drums as scoops for fish handling

The Department of Fisheries clarified that these requirements are not significantly different from the previous inspection criteria for the Sor.3 certificate. Vessels that wish to be certified for exporting to the EU and meet the revised standards will be issued a Sor.3-EU certificate.

According to the Fish Inspection and Quality Control Division (FIQC), there are 2,392 vessels currently supplying aquatic animals to EU processing plants. However, the Purse Seine Fisheries Association raised concerns that fishermen may be unaware that their vessels are involved in the EU export chain. They requested the Department of Fisheries to communicate this clearly and help fishermen prepare for inspections.

It was emphasized that the proposed standards are not mandatory, and only vessels that wish to be certified for EU exports need to comply. The meeting concluded that, since the new inspection requirements are similar to the previous ones, compliance should be manageable. However, it was recommended that the Department of Fisheries conduct public outreach and hold information sessions with fishermen before the new notification is officially enforced.

On behalf of the Association, Mr. Anucha proposed that the Department of Fisheries develop a system for verifying fishing vessels and related documents—such as the Movement Document (MCPD)—to clearly indicate that the aquatic animals originated from EU-compliant vessels. This would allow businesses to efficiently trace and verify the source.

Mr. Nakorn added that for future inspection visits, the Department of Fisheries should coordinate with the National Fisheries Association of Thailand or relevant local fishery associations to support the process.

The meeting approved the draft notification. The Department of Fisheries will now submit the draft to the Central Legal System for further public comments before formal promulgation.