Guidance published to help UK seafood businesses exploit new opportunities for live seafood exports to Vietnam
We’ve created new guidance to help UK seafood businesses understand the terms of a recent trade deal between the UK and Vietnam which, for the first time, allows UK businesses to export and sell live seafood to the South-East Asian country.
The Live Seafood Trade Deal was signed by the two nations in April. Vietnam is the largest consumer of seafood per head in South-East Asia, meaning the deal offers promising new opportunities for UK businesses.
Our Vietnam Export Guide covers how to register with the Vietnamese authorities; export health certificate requirements; the 2020 UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement; and general export and import requirements for UK seafood businesses.
A new opportunity for UK seafood businesses
Our Regulatory Affairs Advisor Mathew Noakes said: “This is a new and exciting opportunity for UK-based seafood businesses to trade with Vietnam, a country we know is a significant consumer of seafood.
“We hope businesses are looking to take advantage of the trade agreement and to help them do so we have created this guidance to better allow them to understand the terms of the deal.”
The agreement was reached following negotiations between the British Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnamese Department for Animal Health.
Matthew Albon-Crouch, Agriculture, Food and Drink Attaché at the Embassy, was involved in those discussions and believes the agreement marks a “significant moment” for the UK’s trading relationship with Vietnam, adding that it “unlocks huge potential” for Vietnam to become a primary export market for many UK businesses.
He said: “As the largest consumers of seafood per capita in South-East Asia, Vietnamese importers are always hunting for new product, and this new agreement now facilitates Vietnamese importers to import British product in Vietnam’s preferred live state.
“There are opportunities across the seascape for British exporters, but particularly in the shellfish sector. I’m excited to see how British businesses take up this new opportunity over the coming months.”
New export guides published
The Vietnam export guide is part of a new series published to help UK seafood businesses take part in international trade with countries across Asia. The other guides in the series cover exporting to Japan and South Korea, with a guide to China coming soon. There is also a new guide to importing seafood from Vietnam.
View the guides via the links below:
If you’re a seafood business looking for tailored advice based on your individual circumstance, please contact our trade and regulation team at regulation@seafish.co.uk.