ASEAN signs deal on shrimping

ASEAN signs deal on shrimping

BANGKOK (AFP): ASEAN agriculture and forestry ministers have
signed agreements on environmentally-sound shrimping practices,
protection of sea turtles, and biotechnology use, local dailies
said Saturday.

The week-long Association of Southeast Asian Nation
ministerial meeting ended Friday with the signing of several
memorandums of understanding, the reports said.

The shrimping and sea turtle protection agreements were seen
as measures to counter pressure from the United States, which
banned wild shrimp imports from the country for a time last year
due to the use of nets endangering sea turtles.

Environmental groups in the United States were also
campaigning to ban farmed Thai shrimps due to extensive damage
caused by the industry to coastal mangrove forests, salinization
of inland wells, pollution and destruction of fish breeding
grounds.

The Thai minister, Chucheep Harnsawad, reportedly acknowledged
however that the agreement was only morally binding and no
measures to improve enforcement of existing laws were included.

"We simply want to create a sustainable shrimp industry," The
Nation daily quoted him as saying.

Thai officials mooted the idea of developing a common green
labeling system to help win environmentally-conscious customers,
the daily said.

Singapore pushed through a memorandum on standardizing
national regulations for the use of biotechnology, and will hold
a workshop in April on the subject open to other Asia-Pacific
nations and the private sector, the reports said.

A plan backed by the Philippines will strengthen national
integrated pest eradication programs, and Thailand got approval
for a regional strategy and policy approach to environmental
issues affecting trade in agricultural projects.

Four manuals on standardizing animal vaccines were approved,
supplementing similar steps with regard to sanitary regulations
and quality assessment of crops, livestock and fisheries
products, the dailies said.