Europe recognised the role of Thailand in south-east Asia and its role in advocating improved food safety at a meeting in Brussels last week.
European Health and Consumer Protection commissioner David Byrne met the Thai minister for agriculture, Sora-at Klinpratoom, last week when the minister presented the Thai structure in charge of regulating food safety standards, the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodities and Food Standards (ACFS).
According to a statement from the Commission minister, Sora-at Klinpratoom 'expressed his appreciation for the EU decision in January 2003 to totally lift the restrictions on shrimp and to reduce testing of poultry meat from 100 per cent to 20 per cent'.
Since March 2002, all consignments of shrimps and poultry from Thailand have had to be tested after residues of nitrofurans had been detected in imported products from the country.