Brussels, 08/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - Despite the misgivings of consumers and environmentalists, the European Commission is seeking to double EU fish farm production by 2020 in order to safeguard wild fish and counter competition from Asia, according to Commissioner for Fisheries Maria Damanaki, in an interview with the AFP on Wednesday 7 May. During the Seafood Expo Global event in Brussels, the commissioner said that fish farming was healthy and sustainable and could help tackle overfishing and protect wild fish stocks.
The Commission intends to earmark up to almost €1 billion in addition to the €700 million already guaranteed under the EMFF, said the Greek commissioner. Despite a significant increase in global demand for seafood products, the commissioner said that European production had stagnated over recent years due to too much bureaucracy, lack of funding and space. She added that currently the EU produced around a third of its seafood products consumed, 10% of which come from fish farming. She said that this figure could be increased to 20%. The Commission is also preparing to look at national sector support plans from EU member states, including geographical planning of fish farm zones. Fish farm production in the EU has remained stable overall since 2000, despite growth in global production of around 7% a year. Fish farms account for 80,000 direct jobs. Sector leaders include the United Kingdom and France, which each account for 20% of production. Greece is the next main player in the sector.
Environmental pollution from Asian shrimp farms, Norwegian salmon stuffed with pesticides and antibiotics are some of the problems that the commissioner recognises as giving fish farms a bad reputation but she explained that the European model is the number one in the world in quality and, with stricter rules, can guarantee good products and more sustainable fish farms. She also said that it is hypocritical to say that we should produce less whilst at the same time importing products that have to be monitored from Vietnam, China and elsewhere. She ruled out any downward revision of health and environmental standards and called for greater innovation. She believes that possible solutions to follow include the Irish high seas fish farm model and French and Scottish research into reducing fish consumption by farmed salmon. She admitted that, with its standards, the EU is finding it difficult to compete with Asia and Latin America. Hence the importance of providing consumer information, particularly with new labelling rules included in the new fisheries policy that indicate production zones and whether the product is fresh, frozen, cultivated or wild. (LC)