Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has called for the Australian government to lift its ban on uncooked prawns from foreign countries.

In a letter to the Australian minister of Agriculture, the Vietnamese minister of trade said the ban was hurting Vietnam’s prawn farmers and prawn processors.

The Australian ban on prawn imports from Asia took effect in early January this year and will last for six months.

The ban came after an outbreak of white spot disease in Australia, which is carried in raw prawns, and can be deadly to other live prawns if spread.

– TiVi Tuan-san