The Department of Fisheries is certified by the United States for Thailand's Siluriformes fish and fish products inspector system. The business operators can prepare to submit export requests from December 5, 2019, onward.

The Department of Fisheries notified the business operators who will export Thailand's Siluriformes fish and fish products to the United States can prepare to export from now onward. The United States certified Thailand's Siluriformes fish and fish products inspector system. Also, it is allowed the business import products Siluriformes fish and fish products produced in certified Thailand establishments by the Department of Fisheries, effective from December 5, 2019, onward.

Since February 26, 2016, Thailand has submitted an application to verified the equality of Thailand's Siluriformes fish inspection system to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) system, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to comply with the U.S. regulation regarding the export of Siluriformes fish and fish products.

Dr. Vicharn Ingsrisawang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Fisheries, revealed that from February 26, 2016, onward, the Siluriformes fish and fish products in various forms, including fresh fish, processed fish could be exported to the United States.

The final proposed rule was announced by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has determined that Thailand's Siluriformes fish inspection system is equivalent to the system that the United States has established under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and its implementing regulations. Under this rule, only raw Siluriformes fish and fish products produced in certified Thailand establishments would be eligible for export to the United States. All such products would continue to be subject to re-inspection at U.S. points-of-entry by FSIS inspectors.

In leading to international standards, the Fish Inspection and Quality Control Division, the Department of Fisheries is dedicated to improving the inspection system and be able to pass the equivalence process assessment from the United States. Including evaluating documents and visiting to inspect systems and processes for controlling the production of fishery products such as farm inspection, manufactory inspection. As a result, Thailand is one of the three countries that USDA certified, even it took three years to implement.

In this regard, in 2020, it is estimated that Siluriformes fish and fish products to be exported to the U.S., such as Fresh catfish (chilled/frozen), Fillet catfish fillet (Fresh/chilled/chilled until frozen), Dry catfish, will be able to create value not less than in the past, at least 20 million baht.

Therefore, the business operators who will export raw fish skin products to the United States have to register and receive HACCP certification by submitting a certification request to the Department of Fisheries and prepare relevant documents as follows:
(1) Juristic person certification, issued by Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, in case of not a juristic person, attach a copy of the registered address of the manufacturer, along with a copy of the owner's ID card
(2) Company registration certificate
(3) Food manufacturing license, issued by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
(4) Factory license, issued by Ministry of Industry, Thailand
(5) Fishery Manufacturing Registration, issued by the Department of Fisheries, Thailand
(6) HACCP Manual
(7) The location of the plant
(8) Letter of power of attorney to receive a certificate

The business operators can contact for receiving the certification at The Fish Inspection and Quality Control Division, the Department of Fisheries, Tel./ Fax 0 2558 0142

The provincial business operators can contact during their office hours at 
(1) Samut Sakhon Fish Inspection and Research Center, Tel. 0 3441 0517 -18 ext. 208, Fax 0 3445 7423
(2) Surat Thani Fish Inspection and Research Center, Tel. 0 7731 0728 / 0 7731 0845, Fax 0 7731 0898 
(3) Songkhla Fish Inspection and Research Center, Tel. 0 7431 2037 Fax 0 7431 4797


Reference : https://www4.fisheries.go.th/index.php/dof/activity_item/3814/all_activity/1