July 14, 2026
 

Ecuador's shrimp exports to China hit by restrictions on 14 processing plants

Between May and June, Chinese authorities rejected 132 consignments of Ecuadorian shrimp totalling approximately 2,904 tonnes, with metabisulfite levels the primary basis for rejection.

China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) has suspended export certificate issuance for shipments from multiple Ecuadorian shrimp processing plants effective 30 June 2026, with the total number of affected exporters now reaching 14 when combined with unresolved cases dating back to October 2025 and January 2026.

The suspensions were triggered by two issues: detected residues of sodium metabisulfite - a preservative and anti-melanosis agent widely used in shrimp processing - and the presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in certain frozen shrimp consignments. Ecuador's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries confirmed both grounds for suspension and said it has initiated a formal crisis management process under the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Health Control Plan.

Industry representatives and Ecuadorian authorities have attributed part of the problem to a change in China's inspection methodology. Chinese laboratories have shifted to analysing shrimp without the shell rather than with it, concentrating the measurable preservative content and causing a greater number of shipments to exceed accepted thresholds. Ecuador's Sub-Secretariat of Quality and Food Safety has requested technical clarifications from China on several aspects of the new control criteria, including the interpretation of the concept of "edible portion" of shrimp.

Ecuador has until 16 July to submit a technical report to GACC containing corrective action plans and traceability documentation for the affected production processes. Several of the 14 companies under restriction have already delivered the technical information requested by Chinese authorities in support of lifting the measures.

The Camara Nacional de Acuacultura (CNA) said the restrictions affect individual processing plants rather than constituting a closure of the Chinese market, and that exports are continuing. However, the commercial impact is significant - estimated at US$45 million so far this year. China accounts for 51.24% of Ecuador's shrimp exports, and shrimp exports generated US$3.523 billion between January and May 2026, making China's market access critical to the country's largest non-petroleum export sector.

CNA has backed the establishment of a bilateral technical working group between Ecuadorian and Chinese authorities to review each case individually, clarify the inspection criteria being applied and accelerate the removal of the restrictions. The Ministry of Agriculture said it has also submitted technical reports to China and is seeking guidance from the Codex Alimentarius Commission on the harmonisation of metabisulfite standards. A similar episode occurred in 2024, when China temporarily suspended nine Ecuadorian shrimp companies over metabisulfite detections before lifting the measures after several months.