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The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has urged the European Union to lift a regulation requiring Indonesian tuna to under­go expensive heavy-metal tests before being exported to the region.

Saut Hutagalung, the ministry’s director of foreign trade, said Indonesian tuna has been proved to be free of heavy metal over the past two years.

“Therefore, we expect the EU to lift that requirement,” said Saut, who was in Brussels with members of a trade delegation to negotiate the matter. “Most EU member countries have agreed to lift the heavy-metal-test obligation for Indonesian tuna.”

A safety ruling issued by the EU in 2006 required farmed and ocean fish imported from Indonesia to be tested for antibiotics and heavy metals.

The EU lifted the heavy-metal-testing requirement for farmed fish in 2008.

Saut said that if all EU members agreed to lift the testing requirement for ocean fish products, it would help ease the cost burden suffered by Indonesian exporters.

He said the exporters had to pay a test fee of $1,000 per shipment as well as other costs associated with the testing process.

Eddy Yuwono, chairman of the Indonesia Tuna Association (Astuin), welcomed the ministry’s attempt to renegotiate the testing requirement.

“It will minimize the risk of products being re-exported to us. It will also reduce the additional cost which must be borne by exporters,” Eddy said.

Tuna is one of the country’s most lucrative fishery exports, contributing $360 million to the country’s annual export revenue.

In 2009, Indonesia exported 17,000 tons of tuna to the EU, generating $50 million.