ISLAMABAD, May 17: The European Union (EU) inspection team has expressed concern over the poor seafood quality, safety standards and dingy conditions of Pakistani harbour and auction houses more than a year after the government voluntary banned seafood exports to Europe until meeting international standards.

Sources in the federal marine fisheries department of the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) told Dawn that Pakistan still lacked a coherent strategy for quality and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) management and had failed to satisfy the EU inspection team.

In March last year, based on the findings of an EU inspection visit, the government imposed a ban on export of seafood to the EU to give the industry time to enhance quality and safety standards and prevent an EU imposed ban and save the industry from complete collapse.

The sources said the EU was of the view that the lack of hygienic conditions started with the fishing boats, through the landing sites and the auction house and into the processing plant. At present, the percentage of losses that resulted from spoilage at the auction hall was 10 per cent due to poor icing and water and further eight per cent due to the lack of adequate storage.

The provision of quality ice, cold storage, clean water and hygienic physical conditions were lacking due to poor on-sight management, absence of performance incentives for the authorities and monopolistic control by the mole holders and the local government officials.

They said the auction hall of the Karachi fish harbour accommodated two fish market arena. The harbour had cold stores but lacked hygienic preparatory area for de-icing, sorting and grading resulting in large post-harvest losses. However, these functions were either performed at the boat or on the unclean floor of the auction hall. Normally, a fifth of the catch was lost prior to auction.

Even after the arrival of the EU inspection team, the sources said, the government did not seem serious to handle the issue.

An official of the federal marine department said that if the government did not respond to the EU concerns on time, it could invite a ban, this time from the EU side, that could inflict estimated $40 million losses on the government every month.

The World Bank, he added, had also asked the government to define and demarcate the roles and responsibilities of different federal and provincial ministries and agencies involved in SPS management matters to avoid a possible EU ban on its seafood.

He said a wide range of federal, provincial, local, autonomous and private institutions influenced, supported and regulated fishing. Issues ranging from access to the sea, coastal management, health and safety, customs and training were needed to be resolved to upgrade production and meet the EU standards.

The WB has also asked the government to strengthen existing technical capacities for administering science-based SPS measures including risk assessment, he added.

Official documents reveal that the WB has asked the ministries of food, commerce, science and technology, health and the relevant provincial departments to take serious notice of the EU concerns and address outstanding issues for the benefit of the country’s seafood industry.

The WB is of the view that it is the responsibility of the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA), as designated under the KFHA Ordinance 1984, to provide high quality ice and perform monitoring and inspection under the Pakistan Fish Inspection and Quality Control Rules 1998.

The bank has also sought reduction in harbour over-crowding. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations had asked Pakistan to ensure that maximum 600-700 trawlers occupied the Karachi harbour at a time. But, at present more than 2,000 trawlers occupied the fish harbour. The cost of such over-crowding includes wasted fuel spent waiting for berths, boat damage and potential over-fishing.

Compliance with the SPS standards involves a concerted effort from both the private and public sector to upgrade facilities, management practises and inspection and testing regime.