EU Report on vegetable value chain

DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION

This report describes the outcome of a Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) audit in Viet Nam, carried out between 18 and 27 February 2014. The objective of the audit was to assess controls on pesticide residues in fresh vegetables and herbs, in particular chili peppers and basil, intended for export to the European Union (EU).

A pilot project was initiated in mid-2013 to strengthen pre-export controls to the EU for sweet and chili peppers, basil, mint, and celery, which were previously the subject of RASFF alerts. This includes the registration of growers involved in their production and is considered to be a positive step towards ensuring that exported produce will meet the EU standards. However, many plant protection products (PPPs) authorized in Viet Nam are not authorized in the EU, and the limited analytical scope under the pilot project inhibits the effectiveness of this initiative.

There are no specific pre-export controls in place for the other commodities. There are no systematic controls at pack-houses, and follow-up of RASFF notifications is either lacking or insufficient. Official laboratories for pesticide residues have modern equipment, good facilities, and experienced staff. However, the limited scope covered and weaknesses identified with regard to internal quality procedures cannot ensure the reliability and correctness of results.