Seafood enterprises propose to the Prime Minister to remove obstacles

Problems with standards in seafood processing are causing difficulties for seafood enterprises. Photo: T.H

Recently, the seafood business community has encountered many problems with regulations related to criteria of phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonium in seafood processing after treatment at QCVN 11:2015 and applying standard QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT for wastewater from intensive farming of catfish and shrimp.

Recently, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) sent an official dispatch to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha about the amendment appropriate with practice and some parameters in the draft National Technical Regulation (QCVN) on industrial wastewater.

In this official dispatch, VASEP has raised problems and shortcomings related to the draft: the regulation of the maximum threshold for phosphorus in wastewater after processing aquatic products is too strict compared to the specifics of the industry and difficulties in applying QCVN on industrial wastewater for intensive aquaculture farming.

VASEP proposed the Prime Minister consider and give instructions to suspend the release of QCVN on industrial wastewater to assess the specific impacts of the new QCVN on the economy and society.

At the same time, putting aquaculture farms within the scope of Draft QCVN 62:2021/BTNMT (livestock wastewater), and in Column B of establishments that must register for the environment instead of being in the QCVN for industrial wastewater.

With wastewater from seafood processing factories, VASEP proposed not to include seafood processing wastewater in the Draft Industrial QCVN for many different industries; or have separate provisions for seafood processing in the draft QCVN of new industrial wastewater due to the specific factors of the industry as it has been done separately for more than 20 years.

Raising the allowable threshold of phosphorus indicator to 40ppm and 30ppm to suit the actual conditions of Vietnamese seafood processing enterprises as well as practices of countries in the region.

Applying a 10-year implementation roadmap for the new QCVN according to international practices (as in the case of the US and some countries is 10 years) to allow time for businesses to convert technology, invest and upgrade systems factory wastewater treatment; keep the control threshold of ammonium and nitrogen as in QCVN 11-MT:2015.