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.