The Animal, Plant, and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency of South Korea has announced that it will run an Ethoxyquin check on frozen shrimps imported from Vietnam in 2013, with permissible limit being 0.01 milligrams per kilogram.
According to shrimp exporters in Vietnam, with a similar palate taste as Japan, South Korea was considered a safe-haven for Vietnamese seafood exporters when export of shrimps to Japan faced difficulties.
However, this new decision by South Korea has created pressure on Vietnamese seafood exporters, as the country has already faced Ethoxyquin testing imposed by Japan.
Last year, South Korea was the fifth largest shrimp importer of Vietnam with imports reaching US$171.4 million, an increase of 8.8 percent over the previous year.
South Korea and Australia were considered the two most optimistic markets as they continuously posted steady growth rates while other major markets showed a sharp decline.