Newfoundland's Seafood Producers Say Misleading Reports of Unprocessed Fish Exports Complicates CETA
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] May 26, 2015
The Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) said recent reports out of Newfoundland that discussed how the province allowed the export of millions of pounds of seafood out of the region unprocessed are misleading. The Association said the reports centered around Newfoundland's minimum processing regulations (MPR) which added tension to ongoing tariff negotiations between Canadian and European trade officials currently hashing a key free trade deal.
Last week reports out of the province said officials approved the export of almost 5 million pounds of unprocessed fish, through exemptions to minimum processing regulations (MPRs) that allow fish to then be exported unprocessed. The ASP says the reports do not accuruately depict the significance of those exports to the industry at large and ultimately undermine the competiveness of the industry, including pending tariff reductions in Europe.
“It’s really misleading to say millions of pounds, without all the facts out there. The reality is 5 million pounds of unprocessed fish is less than 1% of total landings in the province,” says Derek Butler, Executive Director of the Association of Seafood Producers...
To Read Full Story Login Below.