Fish catches currently being sold in retail markets across Japan are all safe for human consumption, assured visiting Japanese agricultural expert Ichiro Nomura, according to Fish Information & Services.
Nomura, a former assistant secretary-general of the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO), gave a speech on fishery issues at the invitation of Taiwan's Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture.
Regarding fishery products, they are, "All 100 per cent free of radioactive contamination," he said, thanks to Japan's rigorous radiation standards. He added, "Ours is a nation that loves to eat fish and we tend to apply stringent radiation regulations."
He lamented foreign countries' apprehension regarding the safety of Japanese-caught seafood products. Adjacent countries are reluctant to import both fresh and processed food items from certain Japanese areas.
South Korea has banned vegetables from five prefectures and, starting on May 1, will require government-issued documents for all food products originating from Tokyo, Miyagi and six other prefectures verifying that they contain safe levels of radioactive iodine and cesium. The country is also demanding that products from 34 other prefectures come with documents denoting their origin, reports The Nikkei.
Because Japan has not yet decided if it will comply with these requests, South Korea's import of several Japanese products is expected to cease starting next week. Taiwan has banned food imports from five Japanese prefectures and is testing all fresh produce and some processed foods for radioactivity upon arrival.
Russia has temporarily halted importing seafood products from 242 manufacturers in Japan and last week China banned imports from 12 prefectures. Beijing also requested that safety certificates come with food products from other regions.
Australia is testing seafood products from Tokyo and 12 other prefectures for radioactivity prior to importing. Further, the Philippines has ordered importers of fish and fishery products to abide by new requirements when applying for sanitary / phytosanitary clearance, reports PNA.
Regarding how the radioactivity may affect neighbouring countries, even though the Fukushima nuclear plant released highly radioactive water into the sea until early April, and the operator then released some 10,000 tonnes of low-level radioactive water to help manage its ravaged reactor buildings, Nomura believes Taiwan's fishing industry will remain unaffected, unlike that near the nuclear plant, such as in waters along the Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.
He also spoke about the delicate situation faced by the country's fishing industry.
Four prefectures in the northeastern Tohoku region and one prefecture in the Kanto region, which encompasses Tokyo, have their fishing sectors in ruins.
Nomura expects it will be a long time before the region's fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing industries can pick up.
"I dare not predict how many years it will take, but I believe it will take quite some time," he deduced. "It's hard to describe the impact of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami on our country's fishing industry."
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