Brussels, 07/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 April 2009, the European Commission will adopt a report on building a sustainable future for fish farming, to be discussed by EU fisheries ministers on 23 and 24 April 2009. The ministers are expected to publish a conclusions document on fish-farming in June.
With average world grown of 6 to 8% a year, fish-farming (farming fish, molluscs and crustaceans in seawater or non-salted water) is the fastest growing sector of food production, explains the Commission. The global fish-farm industry produced 52 million tonnes of seafood in 2006, up a third since 2000, with spectacular growth in Asia and Latin America. Nearly half of fish products eaten by human beings in the world are fish-farmed. Fish-farming has been stagnating in Europe, however, for several years under pressure from several challenges, explains the Commission, like limited access to space and permits; industry segmentation; limited access to start-up capital and loans for innovation; pressure from cheap imports; and shortages of medicines and vaccines. The strict regulations in place in the EU put added pressures on EU fish-farms in the face of competition from Asian and Latin American operators.
Technological R&D. The EU provides an essential contribution to R&D and technology in the fish-farming industry. Some €98 million has been earmarked under the EU's sixth framework programme for R&D for fish-farming. Business leaders recently launched an initiative to introduce a technology and innovation platform for European fish-farming. The Commission suggests that this research should be extended and argues that suitable insurance to cover the risks related with farmed fish and/or technology could play an important role in supporting development of the industry, particularly for innovative projects which could be severely damaged by loss.
Competing for limited resources. Increased pressure on limited resources is one of the major problems facing the development and even the continuation of all types of fish-farming along the coast and in inland waters. The Commission will pursue its initiatives to develop and plan the maritime area and integrated management of coastal areas (as part of the EU's new maritime policy). In preparing for the upcoming reform of the common fisheries policy, the Commission will examine the option of creating closer ties with EU funds and will examine access to the sea for maritime activity, including fish-farming.
Meeting consumer demands. It is important that fish-farming in the EU is able to meet consumer demands, react flexibly to variations in demand on the market and interact on an equal footing with other players in the marketing chain. This year, the Commission is examining the market policy for fish and fish-farm products and will also assess and take account in the future root-and-branch review of its market policy for fish and fish-farm products of the needs of the fish-farm industry, particularly the needs of producer organisations, inter-professional relationships, information for consumers and marketing tools like the labelling of fish and seafood products. The Commission will continue its work with the member states, the European Parliament and stakeholders on the design and promotion of standards for fish-farms and e-certification systems, and will continue its international cooperation on labelling and certification with the Food and Agricultural Organisation and other bodies.
The global dimension. The industry is also opening up to other industries (equipment, growing food for fish, “zoo-sanitary” enterprises, etc) and the opportunity to project and export expertise to other parts of the world. In this connection, the European Commission will look into the option of laying the bases for promoting fish farming in countries outside the EU and expanding trade outlets for EU fish-farms under the foreign relations arm of the EU's common fisheries policy; as part of its new animal health action plan, will develop an EU export strategy to give the EU a great role in negotiating animal health conditions for exported fish and seafood; will continue to promote sustainability in global fish-farming with a view to improving the environmental impact of certain practices and fostering convergence at global level.
Sustainable development. Edible fish and seafood products manufactured in, or imported into, the European Union should meet high health and consumer safety protection standards. The European Union must pursue its objective of ensuring high quality health protection and high welfare standards for farmed fish and seafood.
Water purification techniques that remove waste and contaminants already exist to protect the environment, and a whole range of new technologies are expected to be developed in the next few years to reduce effluents. Respect of EU regulations on water is vital to ensure water is of sufficiently high quality to enable healthy food to be grown that is also safe and of a high quality. The Commission will ensure that member states guarantee a suitable level of protection for waters conducive to shellfish growth in the initial water management plans introduced under the EU's water directive; will draw up guidelines on the applicant of the EU water directive for water in areas conducive to shellfish growth; and will examine whether new water protection legislation is required in light of the repeal of the EU directive on the quality of water in areas conducive to shellfish growth.
On the heath of marine animals, the Commission will, by 2011, examine and where necessary revise, the list of serious pathologies that marine animals can suffer from; and will re-examine currently available financial aid to support marine animals' health (particularly the promotion of biosafety measures in fish-farming and relevant training).
On animal welfare, the Commission is planning to assess the welfare of fish in fish-farms in order to determine whether legislation is required. The Commission will also revise measures of the animal transport regulation that currently apply to all vertebrates but are not suitable for marine species.
Fish food. The most commonly fish-farmed species for meeting EU demand are carnivores whose food tends to still mainly come from fish oil and meal. This industry dependence on fish food raises questions about both its commercial and its environmental viability. The industry that manufactures these fish oils and meal is finding it difficult to keep up with growing demand, which is pushing prices up. The use of fish oils and meal from large-scale factory fisheries could jeopardise the environmental viability of the industry and damage its image. The Commission therefore suggests that additives used to manufacture fish food should be made more widely available, including by means of the guidelines on 'flexible' authorisation procedures for additives for animal feed that were adopted in May 2008. The Commission will also ensure its revised regulation on animal by-products is adopted to ensure that marine animals can be fed food made from fish without authorising cannibalism.
Consumer protection. The Commission says it will continue to ensure that food products of marine origin are safe for consumers, whether grown within the EU or imported from elsewhere. The Commission is also planning to re-examine the situation regarding marine biotoxins.
The Commission also foresees measures to improve the image of fish-farming and ensure that member states properly implement health and consumer protection policy. The Commission will continue to carry out inspections and audits in situ and will ensure that the requirements that apply in countries outside the EU are at least the equivalent of those available under EU legislation. Finally, the Commission will implement the necessary measures to establish a monitoring system for the price of fisheries and fish-farming products from the very start of the marketing chain.
In 2005, the EU27 fish-farming industry produced nearly 1.3 million tonnes of fish, molluscs and crustaceans, generating a turnover of around €3 billion and employing some 65,000 people. According to Eurostat, in 2006 Spain came top of the league table of fish-farming powers in the EU, producing 294,891 tonnes (23% of the EU total), including 228,830 tonnes of mussels. Spain is followed by France (237,610 tonnes, including 116,150 tonnes of oysters), Italy (173,578 tonnes, including 61,928 tonnes of Mediterranean mussels), the United Kingdom (171, 849 tonnes, including 131,973 tonnes of Atlantic salmon) and Greece (113,174 tonnes, including 43,916 of gilthead sea bream). (L.C./transl.fl)