European Union may reopen fish market after a decade

The mission from DG-Sante (Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission) should visit Brazil between the 8th and 19th of June. It will be the first visit since 2017, after European Union auditors highlighted a series of health "non-conformities" on Brazilian fishing vessels.

Fish exports to the bloc were suspended by the Ministry of Agriculture on January 3, 2018. A preventive and temporary "self-embargo" measure for the country to adapt to the requirements.

The entire production chain was impacted. "The 'non-conformities' of 2017 were strictly linked to extractive fishing. But the interpretation at the time also ended up penalizing farmed aquaculture, which has always maintained strict quality control" explains Francisco Medeiros, president of Peixe BR (Brazilian Pisciculture Association).

The temporary suspension turned into a gap of almost 10 years

Since then, the government has started to work with certification programs for fishing vessels and industries, implementing a series of measures for the hygienic-sanitary control of the national fish production chain in order to meet the recommendations of European health authorities.

According to Abipesca (Brazilian Association of Fish Industries) the fish industry has invested heavily in quality, control, traceability and food safety.

Inspections will be carried out at fish processing units in Pernambuco, Ceará and Paraná, and also on industrial fishing vessels in Rio Grande do Norte and Santa Catarina. During the visit, auditors will evaluate the entire fishing chain, including processing and cultivation units.

Although the Ministry of Fisheries offers support, official coordination is the Ministry of Agriculture, an entity legally authorized to mediate commercial and health negotiations, working with the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense.

"The European market is the second largest buyer after the Asian market. The expectation of resuming sales is great. It is a market to be conquered", adds Medeiros from Peixe BR.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Abipesca estimates that they will add US$250 million to Brazil's exports with the resumption of trade relations. Another step will be to include Brazilian fish in the EU-Mercosur trade agreement with reduced tariffs.

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Source: CNN