A long-awaited update to the list of Norwegian seafood producers approved for the Chinese market has been published.

“We have worked hard and long to make it happen. The Food Safety Authority is far from alone in this -- there has been close and good cooperation with both the Seafood Council, the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries and the embassy in Beijing,” Food Safety Authority senior adviser Harald Martin Misje told IntraFish.

The list of approved Norwegian seafood companies now numbers 345. Misje said that the primary hold up has been bureaucratic issues such as Marine Harvest's name change to Mowi or addresses on the approved list not matching those on export certificates.

In May, China approved the last three Norwegian salmon processing plants for import, meaning all Norwegian regions are able to export to China.

Firms not currently on the list must register with the Norwegian Food Safety Agency's Schedule Service (MATS). The next list will be released on April 1, 2020.