FISHFILES LITE JULY 2002

Megapesca Lda. Portugal

www.megapesca.com

 

Fishfiles Lite is a monthly newsletter on key developments in EU fisheries and trade policy and legislation. For more details and to download the full text of any of the items below, please visit our site and subscribe to FishFiles Professional.

 

Common Fisheries Policy

 

  1. The Commission strongly counter-attacks critics of CFP reform.
  2. The EU Parliament passes a strongly worded resolution condemning fishing under flags of convenience and urging action to stamp this out in the EU industry.
  3. The Commission increases budget for scrapping of excess EU fishing vessel capacity.
  4. New multi-lateral fisheries arrangement is to be established for SE Pacific swordfish.
  5. The European Commission and Angola have initialled a 2 year fisheries agreement
  6. The Commission and the Kiribati have initialled a 3 year fisheries agreement.
  7. The European Commission and Russia have started negotiations on a fisheries co-operation agreement.
  8. Tariffs on trade in fishery products between EU and Poland will be phased out within 3 years.
  9. Several fishery products to the temporary list of EU imports of fishery products which are tariff zero-rated.
  10. The Commission changes rules of origin for Seychelles tuna products.
  11. The Commission commences anti-dumping measures against Chile and Faroe Islands salmon.
  12. The Commission plans to change conservation regulations skate, shrimp, bluefin tuna, marlin, swordfish, anchovy and plaice.
  13. Exhaustion of quota for cod, herring yellowtail flounder.
  14. Concern expressed over the use of mesh obstructing devices (“blinders”). 
  15. New Director General of Fisheries appointed

 

Fish Hygiene and Food Safety

 

  1. Commission’s proposals for a complete revision of food hygiene legislation have finally been accepted, paving the way for new harmonised hygiene legislation.
  2. The Food and Veterinary Office of DG Sanco has published its programme of inspection visits for the remainder of 2002, to include assessment of several important List II countries.
  3. Extended mandatory testing for chloramphenicol in processed at sea fishery products from China introduced.
  4. Commission introduces 100% sampling and testing of shrimp consignments from Pakistan for chloramphenicol.
  5. Changes introduced to maximum limit of ASP shellfish toxin in scallops
  6. Limits on dioxin content in food and feed come into force on 1 July 2002.
  7. Concern over cyclobutanones in irradiated foods.
  8. Commission intends to regulate 'smoke' flavourings.
  9. Members of the Food safety Authority Management Board until 2006 or 2008.
  10. Commission announces replacement of Standing Veterinary Committee with the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health

 

Common Fisheries Policy

 

  1. The Commission has counter-attacked critics, including so-called “friends of fish” alliance of southern EU states opposing the Commissions proposals for reform of the CFP. Press releases and an uncompromising speech by Commissioner Franz Fischler to the Advisory Committee for Fisheries at the end of June 2002 bluntly contest some of the criticisms of the Commission’s proposals for CFP reform. The Commission warns that without reform, feared job losses will be even higher.

 

  1. The EU Parliament passed a strongly worded resolution condemning the flags of convenience (FoC) industry for its negative impact on fisheries management, and called on Member States to prohibit  their vessels being re-flagged with FoCs, and to refuse to register vessels which have previously fished under FoCs. Parliament also called for a Council regulation on this matter, which will effectively ban products on EU markets derived from vessels operating under FoCs.

 

  1. The Commission has approved a permitted amendment to its budget for 2003 allocating the first EUR32 million of the proposed (under CFP reform proposals) additional EUR272  million for scrapping of excess EU fishing vessel capacity.

 

  1. The European Commission hosted the second International Consultation to establish multilateral co-operation for the management of swordfish fisheries in the South-east Pacific in Brussels on 11-12 July 2002. It was agreed to establish a multi-lateral fisheries arrangement involving EU, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

 

  1. The European Commission and Angola have initialled a protocol to renew the fisheries agreement between the European Union and Angola for a period of 2 years from 3 August 2002. Fishing opportunities are provided for shrimp vessels (22), demersal trawl (4200GT), tuna seiners (15 vessels), surface long-line (18 vessels) and 2 mid-water trawlers (experimental). These will be allocated to Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Netherlands. Funding is EUR15.5 million/year.

 

  1. The EU and the Republic of Kiribati have initialled a new bilateral Fisheries Agreement for a period of three years from 2002 (the first concluded in the Pacific region). Access is provided for 12 long-liners and up to 11 purse seiners (all tuna) in return for EUR1.4 million.

 

  1. The European Commission and the Russian Federation have held a first round of negotiations with a view to concluding a fisheries co-operation agreement to cover fisheries access, scientific cooperation and trade.

 

  1. A Protocol to the EU/Poland Association Agreement was signed, to phase out tariffs on trade in fishery products between EU and Poland within 3 years.

 

  1. The Commission has published a decision to add several fishery products to the temporary list of products which are tariff zero-rated.

 

  1. The Commission is to allows Seychelles processors to label tuna loins from non-originating vessels processed in Seychelles as being of Seychelle origin

 

  1. The Commission has given notice that it intends to implement anti-dumping measures against Chile and Faroe Islands suppliers of Atlantic Salmon.

 

  1. The Commission announced its intent to modify conservation regulations for some species caught by EU vessels in NAFO and ICCAT regions, affecting skate, shrimp, bluefin tuna, marlin, swordfish, anchovy and plaice.

 

  1. Due to exhaustion of quota the Commission announced stopping of fishing for cod by Spain, and Sweden, herring by Denmark and yellowtail flounder by all Member State vessels.

 

  1. Concern was expressed in the EU Parliament over the use of mesh obstructing devices (“blinders”).  The Commission is aware of the problem, which can only effectively be controlled by inspection at sea. Legal counter measures are already available, and Member States are urged to take action against such practices.

 

  1. The Commission has appointed a new Director General of Fisheries, Mr.Jorgen Holmquist (formerly of DG Budget and before that Agriculture), following the rather sudden and unexpected removal from post of the former DG earlier this year (claimed to be part of a routine reshuffle).

 

Fish Hygiene and Food Safety

 

  1. Differences between Member States within the Council over the Commission’s 2000 proposals for a complete revision of food hygiene legislation have finally been overcome, paving the way for harmonised legislation covering hygiene conditions in all food premises. One of the main blocks was the cost and difficulty of applying HACCP to small producers and traditional products. This will be overcome by applying codes of practice to such sectors. The law will be in the form of regulations rather than directives.

 

  1. The Food and Veterinary Office of DG Sanco has published its programme of inspection visits for the remainder of 2002. Visits to applicant countries will be the priority, to assess extent of adoption of the acquis comunautaire. For fishery products, several important List II countries will be visited to check if they can move to List I. Due to continuing high level of rapid alerts, at least one major List I exporter will be re-inspected.

 

  1. The Commission has extended the mandatory testing of processed at sea fishery products from China following reuslts of an inspection mission by DG Sanco to China. It also confirmed that detection limits of 3 microgram /kg are acceptable and that any consignment in which chloramphenicol was detected (even by a method with lower detection limit than this) should be destroyed. 

 

  1. The Commission decided to introduce 100% sampling and testing of shrimp consignments from Pakistan following detection of chloramphenicol residues in some consignments.

 

  1. The Commission published details of its proposals to increase the maximum limit of ASP shellfish toxin in scallops (from 20 to 250 micrograms/g) based on scientific evidence that most of the toxin is in inedible parts of the product which are not consumed.

 

  1. Limits on dioxin content in food and feed came into force on 1 July 2002. These apply to in human food (Commission Regulation (EC/466/2001 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs). Animal feeds (under Council Directive 1999/29/EC) will be subject to dioxin limits from 1st.July 2003. Finland and Sweden have a derogation on dioxin levels in fishery products for human consumption until 2006.

 

  1. Concern was raised in Parliament over recent research which has shown that irradiation of food may generate cyclobutanones, which have been shown to cause genetic damage in rats. The Commission has referred the matter to the Scientific Committee on Food for risk assessment.  

 

  1. The European Commission has indicated its intent to regulate the safety assessment and authorisation of 'smoke' flavourings for all food products, including the use of smoke condensates.

 

  1. The European Council appointed 14 named members of the Food safety Authority Management Board until 2006 or 2008.

 

  1. The Commission announced that it was permanently replacing the Standing Veterinary Committee with the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health (effective from 21/02/02).