Happy ending to fish oil hygiene row?

Omega-3 fish oil suppliers are hopeful that a compromise will be struck this month that will end a legal dispute threatening fish oil supplies into the EU.

Goed, a trade body representing omega-3 refiners, suppliers and customers, last year secured a temporary reprieve from the European Commission that would give producers more time (until October 2008) to comply with strict new EU hygiene rules.

As EC Regulation 853/2004 stands, crude or refined fish oil imported into the EU for use in foods or supplements for human consumption will be subject to strict hygiene rules covering production, storage and transport from October 2008. Suppliers' premises will also have to be audited to prove they meet these standards.

As the vast majority of fish oil goes into animal feed, however, there is little incentive for suppliers to spend a fortune upgrading processes and facilities just to appease the tiny percentage of their customers that are buying fish oil for human consumption, claimed Goed executive director Adam Ismail.

Moreover, as fish oil destined for foods or supplements was subject to additional cleaning, hygiene and safety checks further along the supply chain anyway, stricter rules earlier on in the chain were unnecessary, he claimed. "Other raw materials like gelatine with industrial as well as food applications are exempt, so why not fish oil?" asked Ismail.

A working group from eight Member States will meet on June 9 to try and reach a compromise, said Ismail. Whatever amendments are made, it was likely the October deadline would be extended to April 2009 to give firms more time to comply, he said.