PUTRAJAYA, May 16 — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) will tighten import controls on fisheries products from Thailand by enforcing the requirement for a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for siakap (seabass), as well as imposing a temporary restriction on five shrimp species effective June 1.

MAFS said the temporary restriction involves the shrimp species Penaeus esculentes (brown tiger prawn), Fenneropenaeus merguiensis (banana prawn), Penaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp), Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) and Penaeus stylirostris (blue shrimp).

“The restriction on shrimp will remain in place until the Thai authorities submit a complete official response to the questions issued by Malaysia, and is subject to further evaluation by the Malaysian authorities based on the response,” the ministry said in a statement today.

It added that the measure is aimed at strengthening national food safety controls, particularly to ensure that seabass and shrimp entering the local market comply with established safety and quality standards.

According to the ministry, the import control measures will be implemented in an integrated manner through cooperation with the Food Safety and Quality Programme under the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS), and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) at all entry points nationwide.

The ministry added that close collaboration with all relevant agencies will continue to ensure the smooth implementation of the import controls without affecting the stability of the seabass and shrimp supply in the country. — Bernama

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