Two of New Zealand’s largest seafood companies flagged by Chinese Customs

Two of New Zealand’s largest seafood companies have had shipments flagged by Chinese Customs.China has temporarily blocked all imports of products from Sanford Ltd.’s Havelock mussels processing facility and Sealord Group’s Nelson facility that processes finfish and fishmeal for animal feeds, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said in a statement.The suspension was due to “issues around the interpretation of the World Health Organization’s COVID guidance, and food safety management,” according to the ministry, which said it is seeking further clarification from Beijing. Chinese Customs authorities conducted live video audits in late January, but did not inform the two companies of their suspensions until Monday, 8 February, according to the ministry.China has taken similar action against dozens of seafood companies from around the world in recent months, including Ecuadorian shrimp firms, Russian crab companies, and Indonesian fish exporters, after claiming to ...