EU bans Jamaican conch meat again

MINISTER OF Foreign Trade, Anthony Hylton, was meeting with conch export interests up to last night, as a prelude to compiling a submission to the European Union (EU) protesting the reinstatement of the ban against conch imports from Jamaica.

The EU again suspended the importation of conch meat from Jamaica recently, creating another major setback to the US$15-million to $20-million export industry which has been in limbo for the past two years.

A release from the Ministry of Foreign Trade on Thursday, said that Minister Hylton had convened a meeting, that morning, of relevant Government agencies and conch exporters to commence the process of seeking to have the EU reverse the decision to "temporarily" bar Jamaican conch.

The release said that Mr. Hylton described the EU's decision as a "surprising development," which posed a "serious threat" to the local conch industry, if it is not reversed.

The release stated: "According to the EU, the decision to suspend, temporarily, Jamaica's conch import is in keeping with their regulations, which provide that if a scientific authority of one member-state believes that the import of a certain species could be detrimental to its conservation status, that member-state could disagree with the issue of the import permit to the offending state.

"If there is agreement by the EU's Joint Scientific Authorities, then the import of conch into the EU, as apparently happened in Jamaica's case, may be suspended temporarily".

The ministry's release said it was not known which European state triggered the action against Jamaica, but suggested that the decision was based on outdated information.

Mr. Hylton said that a comprehensive submission, including biological and trade information, is to be sent to the EU by June 30 to meet its deadline.

"We will pursue all avenues to have this decision rescinded. I have reason to believe we will prevail in this matter," He said.

It was only in November 2000 that Jamaica was put back on the Permanent Lists of Third World Countries authorised to export conch to the EU. This followed tireless efforts over a long period of time, which led to the visit of a EU team to inspect local facilities late last year, resulting in the decision to allow a resumption of the exports.

Conch exports are expected to resume by month-end after more than two years of inactivity. The Ministry of Agriculture and DYC Fishing, a major exporter, settled their differences over the right of the Minister of Agriculture to issue conch export quotas recently, paving the way for the resumption.

The conch industry is a major subsection of the fishing industry, earning over US$15 million and with the potential of significantly higher earnings with efficient management. It is also an important source of employment, with more than 3,000 persons engaged in all aspects of the industry from harvesting to processing.

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