Some reports that live seafood shipments from Australia are being held at the border for 36 hours for testing. COVID-19 RECOVERY UPDATE 16th June 2020 You are receiving the COVID-19 Recovery Update as you have subscribed to the STAG mailing list. This update is produced for Australian seafood exporters, containing important updates and informal translations of news from Asian and foreign media. Any information provided as part of this service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives. Potential China inspection delays due to Beijing COVID19 outbreakYou have probably heard of a situation unfolding in Beijing in relation to a spike in new COVID-19 cases and that COVID has been detected in the Xinfadi Seafood Market in Beijing. This market has subsequently been shut down, along with other wet markets . There has also been some speculation via the media this outbreak may be linked to imported salmon. The STAG is monitoring the situation and has received some reports that live seafood shipments from Australia have been detained for 36 hours pending product testing. Some importers are also talking about cancelling orders fearing potential further market shutdowns. So we can keep monitoring the situation, please let us know at admin@seafoodtradeadvisory.com if you are experiencing any delays and/or cancelled shipments. In the meantime, here is some background as to what is unfolding in Beijing from a series of informal translated Chinese media articles, along with one article from the EU (Article 8). Key messages from the source articles are:
Official newspaper and media articles as the source of the above key messages can be found here: 1. On the 13th June, 45 patients have tested positive to COVID that have had a history or close contact with Xinfadi Seafood Market with no travel history. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/152991369.html?weibo_id=4515319774083648 2. Four confirmed patients all worked for Xinfadi Seafood Market. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/152992238.html?weibo_id=4515314060253398 3. Salmon chopping boards have been tested for COVID-19, which was confirmed had COVID-19 virus present. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/152992663.html?weibo_id=4515289091430070 4. China Daily: All salmon products in Beijing have been removed. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/152992549.html?weibo_id=4515286999711761 5. Virus specialist: It is not salmon’s fault, but we encourage to eat salmon only after cooking. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/152992857.html?weibo_id=4515334965831286 6. CCTV: Beijing government will test all 46,000 citizens who live close to Xinfadi Seafood Market. As of 15th June, over 10,000 samples have been collected, 5,803 results have come back negative. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/153332220.html?weibo_id=4515792970681160 7. Council of State: Testing and thorough disinfection actions taking place http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/153332482.html?weibo_id=4515815078300967 8. Disease Control Expert: The virus is different compared to the previous one in China. The gene sequence shows it has come from the EU, with the spread method not confirmed. http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/153342594.html?weibo_id=4515805683603729 http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/153258780.html?weibo_id=4515670051862495 9. China News interview to Disease Control Expert: Be careful and eat cooked not raw food. The origin might not be the food but be careful of imported food. Low temperatures will make the virus live longer. COVID-19 will not spread seriously in Beijing again under our control. http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2020/06-15/9212353.shtml 10. Seafood industry media: No confirmed evidence about virus related to salmon directly! https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pUgxDEESADTVudZ_lwrt6Q 11. Don’t ruin the salmon industry with the rumour! https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9fe-R6MYVu5WjKPY12jrQw Department Market Access Advice (MAA)The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has issued a market access advice (MAA) on the matter. Click here to download STAG Bulletins are available at http://www.seafoodtradeadvisory.com STAG COVID-19 UPDATES are a resource for Australian seafood exporters.The Seafood Trade Advisory Group receives funds from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation plans, invests in and manages fisheries research and development throughout Australia. It is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, jointly funded by the Australian Government and the fishing industry. |