August 25, 2005

EC proposes tighter controls over EU aquaculture

The European Commission (EC) has proposed tighter controls over the EU aquaculture industry, saying that disease in farmed seafood resulted in a 20 percent loss in their production value, or about EUR500 million lost annually.

Aquaculture production in the EU was valued at about EUR2.5 billion in 2004.

Revised rules needed to simplify the legislation and expand existing laws to keep them updated with industry development, as well as bring EU legislation in line with international agreements and standards, the EC said.

Also, the main policy change would be a shift in focus towards disease prevention, and the resource allocation to reflect this priority. The EC proposal stated that disease controls should be implemented throughout the production chain.

While tougher disease prevention controls could raise prices for fish used by processors in their products, the controls might result in them receiving higher quality fish, molluscs and crustaceans from the aquaculture industry, reports said.