November 4, 2009

EU to reduce tariffs on Canadian shrimp

The EU will soon import up to 20,000 tonnes of Canadian shrimp with no tariff applied under the Autonomous Tariff Rate Quota (ATRQ).

Since 2007, this amount of shrimp has been exported to the EU with a 6 percent tariff.

The Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) government has been working with the Canadian government and the province’s fishing industry to tackle the issue of EU seafood tariffs. The regulation will apply to products intended for further processing from January 1, 2010.

The Williams government has augmented budgetary support to address tariff and trade issues and sent additional missions to the EU. Premier Danny Williams discussed these matters with EU officials earlier this year.

In 2004, the shrimp ATRQ only provided for 7,000 tonnes of Canadian shrimp at a reduced tariff of 6 percent.

As part of the anticipated changes to the EU tariff structure, it is also expected that there will be no tariff on yellowtail flounder, with an ATRQ of 10,000 tonnes, down from as high as 15 percent.

The Newfoundland government will keep addressing tariff and trade issues for seafood species such as Atlantic cod, herring, lump roe and crab. It will also work toward having Canadian seafood enter the EU in a more highly processed state, allowing for a better branding of the final product.