By Li Hongmei

The import of 41 tonnes of Chinese mitten crabs from Germany per-ordered online has been halted by relevant authorities who say the crabs are unauthorized.

One man's meat is another man's poison, a popular saying which can best describe the situation of the Chinese mitten crabs in Germany.

The crabs are considered a delicacy in eastern Chinese cuisine and are often eaten in the country around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 19 this year. In Germany, however, the crabs have become an invasive pest, harming local river ecosystems and damaging drainage systems with their burrowing.

The crabs must pass inspection before they enter China's market, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the country's quality watchdog.

The importer is reported to be Juhuasuan, the group buying website operated by Taobao, China's leading e-commerce platform. Juhuasuan said they will declare the crabs and sell those that clear both German and Chinese customs. Yet they are currently collecting orders and will import the ordered amount of crabs before they apply for inspection.

The German mitten crabs sold online have been replaced by crabs from Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, an area famous for producing the crabs and which commands high prices for them. The price of the imported German crabs had risen from 399 yuan (US$65) to 2,288 (US$370) before they were removed from the website.