Maine’s Sen Collins Promises Market Access Dollars, But US Lobster Exports Badly Hurt by CETA
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton April 13, 2018
Maine’s Senator Collins put out a press release touting her efforts to double funding for the USDA’s market access program, that has funded US lobster marketing efforts in Europe and elsewhere.
But at a hearing with Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, Purdue admitted that the new Canadian trade deal with Europe, called CETA, “puts us at a huge disadvantage..on our seafood.”
But he gave no specifics on how to prevent the US lobster industry from being harmed.
Since CETA came in to force, there has been a significant shift in lobster buying patterns in Europe.
In 2017’s fourth quarter, Canadian shippers increased their volume to Europe by 750,000 lbs, while US shippers saw reduced volumes by 1.7 million lbs...
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