Circular 07/2017/TT-BNNPTNT, which provides regulations and standards for frozen tra fish fillets and seafood, comes after nearly 27 months of debate between seafood firms and relevant agencies on the ice-to-fish ratio rule. The circular specifies the moisture ratio is no more than 86 percent of net weight of tra fish fillets.

The ministry raised ice and moisture content in the new circular compared to the respective ratios of 10 percent and 83 percent provided in the government’s Decree 36/2014/ND-CP issued in April 29, 2014. The decree came into force on June 20 in the same year, except for the ice ratio rule which took effect on January 1, 2015.

However, before the ice ratio rule in Article 6 of Decree 36 became effective, seafood firms voiced disagreement with the maximum ice and moisture ratios of 10 percent and 83 percent and triggered debate with relevant agencies.

Due to the persistent requests of seafood enterprises, the rule on ice and moisture contents in tra fish fillets was postponed until the end of 2015 as proposed by the agriculture ministry to make life easy for exporters.

However, seafood exporters again called for a delay of the rule throughout 2018 as an agreement on the ice ratio in tra fillets for export had not been reached by the parties concerned.

The ministry made concessions and then signaled at some meetings that the ice and moisture ratios would be changed to prevent the enforcement of the rule from further delays. As a result, the ministry issued the circular setting the maximum ice and moisture ratios at 20 percent and 86 percent respectively.