A risk of destabilization of the European tuna market, enhanced by the recent increase of US tariff

With nearly 450 000 tons of canned tuna, Thailand is the world’s leading producer and exporter of canned and preserved tuna, accounting for over 22% of global production and more than 29% of global exports. Between 2020 and 2023, the EU imported nearly 40,000 tons of fishery products from Thailand annually—despite current tariffs of 24% on tuna loins and canned tuna. Even without tariff preferences, Thailand remains one of the top suppliers to the EU market. In addition, the additional duties recently imposed by the United States to Thailand increases even more the need for Thailand to access the EU market duty free as well as the risk for EU tuna producers to face an aggressive competition.

Granting duty-free access to Thai tuna products would severely impact the competitiveness of the EU tuna industry.

A European model threatened by unfair competition

In the ultra-competitive global tuna market, the European tuna purse seiner fleet is recognised as a model of sustainability and responsibility. The fleet respects strict quotas, is monitored 24/7 by VMS, systematically embarks scientific observers meaning 100% observer coverage and applies stringent control, monitoring and control regulation. Besides, the fleet’s environmental and social standards are also certified by MSC label, complying with the ILO C188 requirements verified by the flag state, as well as AENOR (APR) and AFNOR standards. Those rules and standards require a high level of investment and make it the most expensive tuna fleet to run in the world. EU vessels have to compete in international waters and markets with non-EU fleets that do not respect the same standards, or even engage in IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing.

The EU tuna sector supports over 25,000 direct jobs across the EU, particularly in regions highly dependent on fishing. These jobs and investments would be put at risk by tariff liberalisation to Thai tuna products. In addition, this would undermine the EU supply chains established with West and East African partners under the Economic Partnership Agreements, including Côte d’Ivoire, Seychelles, and Mauritius.

The threat of low-quality and standards tuna products entering EU supermarkets

Thailand, has worrying structural shortcomings:

• Its processing industry imports whole tuna massively from countries with opaque practices in terms of sustainability and sanitary compliance (including Taiwan, China, South Korea and Indonesia)
• Despite that Thailand has ratified International Labour Organisation’s Convention 188, it has failed to implement it and ratify other major international conventions on human rights and work at sea (ILO C87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise and ILO C98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining).
• The European Commission’s latest audit in 2023 highlighted persistent flaws in health and food safety from Thailand, revealing its inability to ensure standards that comply with European requirements.

The EU and its contradictions: a call for common sense

European fisheries are coming up against the EU’s paradoxes: while the European Union continues to impose increasingly restrictive regulations on its own companies, it simultaneously allows the import of products that do not meet these same standards.

Faced with this observation, Europêche calls on the European Union to exclude tuna products from the draft free trade agreement with Thailand and maintain a strict rules of origin. This will help preserve the European tuna sector and guarantee a level playing field for EU producers.  If that is not possible, as in other FTAs, it would be mandatory to apply strict rules of origin: only for wholly obtained fish, and with no cumulation.

Xavier Leduc, President of Europêche Tuna Group, explains: “Tuna loins and cans processed in Thailand from low-standard Asian fisheries pose a direct threat to sustainable European fleets, which face higher costs due to their rigorous control, social, and environmental standards. A Free Trade Agreement with Thailand allowing duty-free tuna products into the EU would only deepen the existing imbalance, further disadvantaging European fleets and undermining fair competition.”

Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group, says: “Under current regulations, the EU cannot block low-standard tuna entering EU market—but it must not let it in duty-free.”

Press contact:

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director | phone: +33 678 11 63 01 | e-mail: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Thailand FTA

A risk of destabilization of the European tuna market

Thailand is the world’s largest producer and exporter of tuna, with an annual production of about 470,000 tons of canned and prepared tuna. Currently, an average of 10,000 tonnes are exported to the EU each year, subject to a 24% tariff. If the FTA was to include tuna products, the derogation of these taxes would automatically lead to a massive influx of imports, given the considerable export potential of the Thai sector. The impact would be immediate on:

• The European sector, especially tuna fleets, faced with increased and unfair competition,
• Low-quality of products in supermarkets, with an influx of seafood with lower social, environmental and control standards.

A European model threatened by unfair competition

In the ultra-competitive global tuna market, the European fleet of tuna purse seiners is recognised as a model of sustainability and responsibility. The fleet respects strict quotas, is monitored 24/7 by VMS, systematically embarks scientific observers meaning 100% observer coverage and applies stringent control, monitoring and control regulation. Besides, the fleet is also certified by MSC label, as well as AENOR (APR) and AFNOR norms, respectively the highest environmental and social standards. Those rules and standards make in the most expensive tuna fleet to run in the world.

However, the EU tuna fleet is facing significant challenges, as evidenced by the recent shutdown of two relevant companies (Via Océan – formerly Saupiquet – and Nicra 7) in 2024. These companies have to compete in international waters and markets with non-EU fleets that do not respect the same standards, or even engage in IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing.

Xavier Leduc, President of Europêche Tuna Group, explains: “Tuna loins and cans processed in Thailand from low-standard Asian fisheries pose a direct threat to sustainable European fleets, which face higher costs due to their rigorous control, social, and environmental standards. A Free Trade Agreement with Thailand allowing duty-free tuna products into the EU would only deepen the existing imbalance, further disadvantaging European fleets and undermining fair competition.”

On the other hand, Thailand, has worrying structural shortcomings:

• Its processing industry imports whole tuna massively from countries with opaque practices in terms of sustainability and sanitary compliance.
• It has failed to implement International Labour Organisation’s Convention 188, major international conventions on human rights and work at sea, and to ratify major other ones (ILO C87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise and ILO C98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Baigaining)
• The European Commission’s latest audit in 2023 highlighted persistent flaws in health and food safety, revealing its inability to ensure standards that comply with European requirements.

The EU and its contradictions: a call for common sense

European fisheries are coming up against the EU’s paradoxes: while Brussels continues to impose increasingly restrictive regulations on its own companies, it simultaneously allows the import of products that do not meet these same standards.

Faced with this observation, Europêche calls on the European Union to exclude tuna products from the draft free trade agreement with Thailand and maintain a strict rules of origin. This will help preserve the European tuna sector and guarantee a level playing field.

Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group, says: “Under current regulations, the EU cannot block low-standard tuna entering EU market—but it must not let it in duty-free.”

Press contact:

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director | +33 678 11 63 01 | anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Pres Release – Thailand FTA

After a warm welcome by the Marine Department of the Thai Ministry of Transport and Cadets of the Asian Maritime Technological College, during two full days, specialist from all over the world[1] gathered to tackle one endemic problem in the fishing industry: Safety. 100.000 Fishing-related deaths occur each year[2], the vast majority happening in Asia and Africa, particularly in inland and coastal fisheries. In other words, every 5 minutes, a fisherman or woman passes away. According to Europêche, it is regrettable that international instruments aimed at protecting the life of 35 million people working in the fishing sector have not been widely ratified.

One of the main goals of this conference was to engage with stakeholders in Asia in the work of advocating human and labour rights for fishers and to support the development of pathways to ensure workers’ protection. By way of example, in the Thai fishing industry, on average 60% of fishermen working on their vessels originally come from neighbour countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. As in the EU, Thailand is dealing with a lack of motivation among the new generation to join the industry. A challenge for Thailand remains the ratification of key conventions for the safety of fishing vessels (Torremolinos Convention) and for training and certification (STCW-F). However, the country was the first in Asia to ratify the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188) aimed at protecting the living and working conditions of fishers on board of vessels.

At the conference, Rosalie Tukker, Senior Policy Advisor of Europêche, spoke about the importance of social dialogue and its ability to together with the workers address the gaps in the social dimension of fisheries and lead international effort to improve safety and working conditions, making key stakeholders aware of the human side of the sector, which is often forgotten.

Ms Tukker, declared: “Fishing is significantly safer in Europe, but it remains a global concern particularly in developing countries. For Europêche it is an absolute priority to protect the lives of those working at sea. Fishing stands at the beginning of an international seafood supply chain. Seafood remains one of the most traded commodities in the world and that concerns the EU market. We strive to make sure that fish products are harvested with high standards of safety and due respect to human and labour rights”.

Europêche, under the leadership of the FISH Platform will continue to provide a stage for all who wish to improve fishers’ lives and aims on working more closely in the future with Asian countries towards that goal.

[1] Experts from the UN specialised agency International Labour Organization (ILO), the Japan Agency for Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers, Stella Maris, the UN specialised agency International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Nautical Institute, Novikontas SCM, the Seafarers’ Charity, the Institute for Marine Science and Fishing Technology in Vietnam, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the International Ocean Institute in Singapore, the Outlaw Ocean Project, and Europêche.

[2] FISH Safety Foundation, Fisher Mortality Brief, November 2022 (Commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts) via https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2022/11/fisher-mortality-brief.pdf.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

EP Press Release – FISH Platform Conference Thailand