Zhangzidao Group is the largest Ezo scallop enterprise in China, and has many global partners, in addition to the Chinese market, shellfish products are also sold to Japan, the United States, South Korea and Peru and other countries. The EU customs clearance provides a better opportunity for Zhangzidao to operate the next Ezo scallop project.
A few days ago, some domestic double-hull shellfish products that have been "blocked" for nearly 20 years were allowed to resume exports to the EU market, and the world's largest scallop consumer market once again opened its doors to China. The Reporter of China Industry and Commerce Times learned from Zhangzidao Group, China's largest scallop farming enterprise, and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the State that according to the European side, from now on, Scallop products that meet certain conditions in China can be exported to the EU.
In July 1997, the European Commission completely banned Chinese aquatic products from entering the EU market on the grounds that Vibrio parahaemolyticus was found in the meat of frozen cooked mussels exported to the EU by a Chinese enterprise in Shandong Province, China. Since then, in December 2002, the EU resumed the export of most of China's wild fish products, including simulated crab meat, marine fish, crayfish, etc. to the EU, and lifted the ban on the export of shrimp, farmed fish and other products to the EU in October 2004, but the export of shellfish products has always been prohibited.
The EU shellfish market has a long way to go
For scallop products, the EU market is a market with high standards and strict requirements. At present, the EU is one of the world's largest consumer markets for scallop products, with an annual demand of about 40,000 tons of finished products. Due to the strict requirements for exporting EU products, the price of products is also relatively high, compared to the United States, Australia and other markets, the price of the EU market is about 15% higher, which is the high-end market that global scallop exporters are competing to enter, which is also an important factor for Chinese shellfish companies to actively strive for the qualification of exporting to the EU. The opening of the EU market is a rare positive for Chinese aquatic enterprises.
After 20 years, the road to the return of Chinese shellfish products to the EU exports can be described as a difficult journey. The deeper reason is that the world's major aquatic product importers are developed countries, and for a long time, the technical barriers they have formed in terms of technical regulations, technical standards, certification systems, etc., have become the most common and difficult trade barriers for China's aquatic products in international trade. The safety management regulations and standards formulated by the EU using its advantages in science and technology and management have formed an insurmountable obstacle to China's aquatic products. Although China is a big shellfish producer, due to the particularity of the shellfish growth environment and the enrichment of shellfish, shellfish are more likely to accumulate toxic and harmful substances in the body, and the quality of shellfish in China is difficult to meet the requirements of developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan. In particular, the EU regulations on shellfish are very complex, these regulations include the EU requirements for all aspects of shellfish products, such as packaging and labeling, bar codes, traceability, etc., and these requirements are scattered in dozens of EU regulations, and the difficulty of Chinese shellfish exports to the EU can be imagined.
Why Zhangzidao can shoulder the heavy responsibility of restoring customs in the European Union
Zhangzidao Group has long been committed to building an ecological, low-carbon and sustainable marine ranch, and its development concept and achievements have been recognized by the world, becoming a model enterprise and "industry shaper" of the World Economic Forum's global "new leader in sustainable development". The swiss SGS Group, a globally authoritative third-party certification body, issued a carbon label certified food certificate to Zhangzidao Group, and Zhangzidao Ezo scallops became the first carbon label certified food in China. Based on the carbon footprint certification results of the whole supply chain of Ezo scallops comprehensively cultivated by Zhangzidao Group in 2014 from seedling, breeding, breeding, temporary breeding and transportation, the total carbon sink effect can be 100347.90tCO2e (tons of carbon dioxide equivalent).
In April 2015, Zhangzidao Ezo Scallop Fishery passed the MSC sustainable fishery standard certification, becoming the first fishery in China to obtain the world's most rigorous sustainable fishery standard certification, Zhangzidao Marine Ranch's Ezo scallops as a representative product of the EU re-inspection, showing the natural ecological "gene" of the sustainable development of Zhangzidao Marine Ranch, providing an ecological fishery demonstration for the healthy development of China's marine industry.
Zhangzidao Group's food control has always implemented the highest international standards, and accept the control of international authorities, each batch of products of the company must pass the most authoritative third-party inspection agency in the world - The Swiss General Notary Office (referred to as SGS) inspection, before entering the market or entering the processing base for deep processing. In addition to being audited by the European Union, Zhangzidao Group also accepted the standards of the US FDA and hong Kong FEHD on marine ecological environment and marine food processing links, food safety status, food traceability system testing on behalf of the country, and passed authoritative recognition, and became the only marine food enterprise that won the Liaoning Governor's Quality Award, leading the healthy development of the industry.
In July 2007, China's Import and Export Inspection and Quarantine Department and Marine Fisheries Department, together with Zhangzidao Group, officially launched the application for the resumption of shellfish exports to the EU. Zhangzidao Group, as the sole corporate representative, underwent two on-site comprehensive audits by the audit team of the European Union Food and Veterinary Office (hereinafter referred to as the "EU FVO") in 2009 and 2013. During this period, the EU FVO audit team audited the shellfish management system, the marine environmental management control system, laboratory management and operation of the Dalian Municipal Bureau of Oceanography and Fisheries and the Liaoning Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, and conducted a comprehensive assessment of the shellfish management system of Zhangzidao Marine Ranch, and inspected the sea area monitoring, fishing of production operation vessels, transportation and processing of raw materials acceptance and production and processing processes. Ultimately, the efforts of the audited departments and enterprises in marine food safety management and control, monitoring measures and residue monitoring were recognized and appreciated by EU experts.
Zhangzidao Group is the largest Ezo scallop enterprise in China and has many global partners, in addition to the Chinese market, shellfish products are also sold to Japan, the United States, South Korea and Peru and other countries. The EU customs clearance provides a better opportunity for zhangzidao to operate the next Ezo scallop overall project, according to the market demand, adjust the breeding area, improve the supply, so that the EU becomes the largest scallop sales market.
The return of Chinese double-hulled seashell products to the EU market is of great significance to improving the industrial standards and product quality of China's aquatic industry and establishing a good image of Chinese marine aquaculture enterprises in the international market.