After 14 years of eel farming, Zhang Xiuguo last week thought of
calling it quits.
Exports of aquatic products in the coastal county of Fuqing,
Fujian - which exported eel worth US$53.83 million in 2006 - have
stuttered since last July, when "foreign press rumors about China's
food safety escalated", Zhang, 44, said.
A recent New York Times report "sealed the fate of the crippled
industry", said Liu Minglong, head of the city's eel
association.
On December 15, the paper ran a 2,400-word piece, packed with
Chinese translation in both audio and text, accusing the country of
"farming fish in toxic waters", based on what it claimed were field
interviews in the county.
"Farmers have coped with the toxic waters by mixing illegal
veterinary drugs and pesticides into fish feed, which helps keep
their stocks alive yet leaves poisonous and carcinogenic residues
in seafood" the report said.
Eel farmers, including Zhang, who read the Chinese version, said
the accusation is "totally groundless".
"The major pollutants in eel breeding are nitrogen, phosphorus
and excrements which are found naturally," explained Xie Hejie,
deputy chief of Fuqing's environment protection bureau. "When you
have more fish farms, the environmental pressure on water quality
will certainly rise.
"But all these pollutants can be naturally degraded I wouldn't
say that water becomes 'toxic' under these conditions."
Strict regulations since 2003 have made drug use illegal, added
Zhang. The Fuqing eel association, established in 2006, is
responsible for the purchase and delivery of approved drugs. The
county produces about 30 percent of the country's eels.
"Whoever uses illegal drugs is bound to lose money. The ordinary
fish farmer has neither the incentive nor the place to buy them,"
said Chen Renping, deputy head of the local marine and fisheries
bureau.
The country's top fisheries watchdog agreed.
"Strict controls have been set on the aquatic raising
environment and aquatic food quality. A vast majority of our
aquatic products pass safety standards and consumers can set their
minds at rest," Ding Xiaoming, an official with the fisheries
bureau affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture, told China
Daily.
Ding said some media reports are "irresponsible and mislead the
public".
"It's common sense that fish cannot be raised in toxic water, as
breeding and growth depend on good conditions including water
source, quality, depth and the surrounding environment," Ding
said.
The government has implemented four regulations on water quality
for the fisheries industry, shutting down ponds that failed to meet
water quality standards, and banning fishing in polluted
regions.
The ministry tightly supervises fisheries inputs including
drugs, and has strict controls on drug residues.
Inspection centers have been set up in 31 provinces and
municipalities for aquatic food quality supervision, said Ding.
Special inspections of drug residues carried out by the ministry
last year covered 20 major fisheries provinces and
municipalities.
For the fourth straight year, more than 97 percent of aquatic
products met standards during random sample tests.
Citing figures from the ministry and also the country's top food
and product quality watchdog, Ding said that at least 95 percent of
Chinese aquatic products met safety standards and up to 98 percent
of fish exports passed inspections.
But Ding acknowledged that water in some regions was polluted
and that some profit-driven fish farmers "misbehaved", using
excessive or forbidden drugs in breeding.
"It will take us some time to correct their behavior," Ding
said. "But we oppose any irresponsible and distorted reporting that
misleads the public."
Ministry figures show that the total volume and value of the
country's aquatic food exports during the first 11 months last year
registered the lowest rise year-on-year since 1999. "Look at us. We
did nothing wrong - but who is to pay for all the damage?" Zhang
asked.
All About
Fishing industry,
Water pollution
(
China Daily January 3, 2008)
