Seafood Trade Matters
The latest developments in international seafood trade & market access affecting Australian seafood exporters.
June 9, 2023
Seafood Trade Matters: UK FTA now in force; EU
FTA negotiations; Prawn import conditions
UK: FTA now in force
The Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force on 1 June,
eliminating almost all tariffs on Australian seafood products exported to the UK. See the Trade
Minister’s media release here. Some media reporting on the opportunities for Australian
exporters from The West can be read here.
Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) hosted an information webinar with Austrade and the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry (DAFF) on 7 June. Key takeaways from the
session included:
● The FTA opens significant opportunities for Australian seafood exporters by eliminating
most tariffs upon entry-into-force (EIF), increasing competitiveness in the UK market.
● Overall UK seafood imports are growing, and Australian products are recognised for
their high quality, excellent taste profile, and sustainability credentials, making them
appealing to UK consumers, particularly in the premium sector.
● UK Market access requirements post-Brexit largely mirror EU standards. Exporters must
ensure establishments have UK listing and meet EU requirements, and prepare
necessary certifications, including UK health and catch certificates. They should also be
aware of potential certification issues when trans-shipping between the UK and EU.
● It is hoped that future UK sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) arrangements will simplify
certification complexities, while live seafood exports, such as lobster and mud crab, are
feasible with the right adherence to specific requirements. Exporters are advised to
reach out to DAFF for advice and assistance on requirements.
● SIA is launching a web-based supplier directory to connect exporters with the market,
and Austrade can assist exporters with introductions to buyers as well as considerations
such as adjusting pricing with tariff elimination and assessing product suitability for the
UK market.
Exporters looking to take advantage of the FTA might start by checking their products on the
Government’s FTA portal here.
For questions about technical UK market access, contact DAFF's Seafood Export Facilitator at seafoodexportsupport@agriculture.gov.au
EU: Trade Minister joins FTA talks
Trade Minister Don Farrell travelled to Europe this week to attend the latest round of free trade
agreement (FTA) negotiations with the EU. Read the minister’s media release here.
According to The Australian Financial Review, the Minister “is leaving free-trade talks in
Brussels empty-handed, after the European Union refused to improve its offer on better market
access for Australian farm exports.” Read the AFR report here.
Biosecurity: Prawn review
DAFF has now published its biosecurity import risk assessment final report for prawns.
According to DAFF, “the proposed changes to the import conditions for prawns and prawn
products exported to Australia for human consumption include that:
1) All prawns and prawn products must be frozen.
2) All cooked prawns and prawn products must be frozen, appear fully cooked and have
achieved a minimum core temperature of 65°C during the cooking process.
3) Access to Australia for whole, uncooked (frozen) prawns will only be permitted for
countries, compartments or zones which Australia recognises, through an official
assessment, as being free from (prescribed) pathogenic agents”
Read the full report on the DAFF website here.
MICoR Fish updates
DAFF has updated the Manual of Importing Country Requirements (MICoR) Fish database with
new entries for a range of export markets, including Thailand and Mexico. Access MICoR to
learn more about export requirements here.
Export documentation system outage
DAFF has advised all export documentation (EXDOC) system users of expected system
maintenance and an associated outage from 12:00 pm to 11:59 pm (AEST) on Sunday 18 June
2023. Read the Industry Advice Notice on the DAFF website here.
ESCS: Final industry webinar
Austrade’s Export Supply Chain Service (ESCS) winds up on 30 June. A final ESCS Industry
Briefing will be held at 3:00pm - 4:00pm AEST Tuesday 27 June 2023.
The briefing will “provide a retrospective on how freight operations have changed since pre-
COVID-19, and what’s on the horizon as attention turns to building long-term, system
resilience.” Visit the ESCS website to find out how to register.
Vietnam: Concerns about EU market access
According to Vietnamese news service, VOV, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister holds
concerns that the European Community could issue a ‘red card’ judgement on Vietnam’s efforts
to curb illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing activities. This designation would
impose restrictions on Vietnam’s seafood exports to the EU. Read more on the VOV website
here.
The STAG is funded by partners:
The Seafood Trade Advisory Group (STAG) is jointly funded by the Australian government and the fishing industry. We receive funds from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).which is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
Any information provided in this STAG publication is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your individual circumstances and business objectives.
The STAG is managed by:
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