Irish seafood exporters have received approval under a new registration system required for the vast Chinese market.
A total of 36 Irish food business operators have had registrations renewed under the new system, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has confirmed.
The changed requirement was introduced last year by the Chinese competent authority, the General Administration of Customs China (GACC), the SFPA says.
It “marked a major change in how export registrations for Irish exporters trading with China are governed” and was a significant challenge, it says.
“The SFPA, in liaison with Department of Foreign Affairs colleagues in Beijing, have been working with the Irish fishing industry over the past six months to ensure as smooth a transition to this new regime as possible,” it says.
This involved “full migration of all Chinese export registration requests to a new GACC online portal”.
The registrations which have been successfully renewed by the 36 seafood businesses are valid until 2028, the SFPA says.
