Seafood Trade Matters
The latest developments in international seafood trade & market access affecting Australian seafood exporters.
May 12, 2023
Seafood Trade Matters: IUU webinar; Trade Minister in China; UK FTA entering force
Note for subscribers: Seafood Trade Matters and STAG News Bites will now arrive in your inbox every Friday.
IUU Measures paper
Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) is working with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry (DAFF) to coordinate an SIA member webinar regarding the government’s discussion paper on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing imports. The webinar provides an opportunity for industry stakeholders to contribute their views and to ask questions.
Your feedback will help DAFF better understand the extent of IUU products entering Australia, and explore ways to strengthen Australia’s seafood import controls.
read the discussion paper
submit your feedback via the online form available here
Submit your feedback by AEST 5 pm, Friday 23 June 2023.
The Minderoo Foundation, supported by Andrew Forrest, has released a public statement on the proposed measures. Read the statement here. Minderoo has also established the Fair Catch Alliance (FCA) to push for better regulation of seafood imports. Visit the FCA website here.
Trade Minister visiting China
Trade Minister Don Farrell is in China to advance resolution of bilateral trade blockages. According to the Minister’s official media release “During my visit I will be advocating strongly for the full resumption of unimpeded Australian exports to China – for all sectors – to the benefit of both countries and in the interests of Australian exporters and producers.” Read the full statement here.
ABC News reports on the visit here.
MICoR: New entries for seafood markets
DAFF has added around 30 new entries into the Manual of Importing Country Requirements
(MICoR) for fish and seafood exporters. The new entries cover important Latin American
economies, including Argentina and Chile, as well as a range of other markets in the EU, Africa,
Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific. All information can be accessed on the MICoR (Fish) website
here.
Australia-UK FTA entering force on 1 June 2023
The Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA) will enter into force from 1 June 2023. From that date, almost all Australian seafood (with the exception of some scallops and processed products) will be eligible to enter the UK market tariff-free. UK-originating fresh and processed seafood products already have tariff-free access to Australia. Read the Trade Minister’s announcement here.
The rules of origin that determine the eligibility of fisheries products to be exported to the UK under the A-UKFTA are relatively flexible, meaning it will be easier to qualify for the preferential tariff rates.
Apart from goods access commitments, the A-UKFTA contains a number of provisions of interest to the Australian seafood industry, including in the areas of environmental sustainability, animal welfare and anti-microbial resistance.
According to ABC news, ‘The seafood sector in Australia is forecasting a big increase in exports to the UK.’ Read the story here. More on A-UKFTA from the ABC here.
Seafoodsource.com reports on Australian seafood’s push into the UK and EU markets here.
Undercurrent News also reports on the implications of the deal for Australian seafood here (paywall).
For practical business information on how to use A-UKFTA, see the official guide here.
Shellfish: Approved harvest areas for export
DAFF has advised it is now publishing a list of harvest areas that are approved to harvest shellfish for export. See the full advice here.
Export diversification survey
Austrade would like to know more about your trade diversification experiences, exporting
challenges and future priorities. Take the short survey by following this link.
Australian Export Awards 2023
Applications are now open for the Australian Export Awards. Learn more here.
IOTC: Member push to restrict fish aggregating devices
Politico reports on a movement within the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to limit the use of fish aggregating devices. The proposal is reportedly opposed by the EU delegation. Read the full story 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.
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