By Struan Stevenson - 6th February 2012
The commission proposal to have a mandatory date of catch is unworkable and discriminatory
Struan Stevenson
There needs to be a balance between appropriate information to consumers and a level playing field for fishermen, writes Struan Stevenson.
On 13 July last year, the European commission announced their long-awaited common fisheries policy (CFP) reform package. After months of waiting for a radical reform proposal, the result was hugely disappointing. The modest proposals put forward by the commission are a vague, watered-down version of what was promised. For example, there is no mention of devolving the day-to-day management responsibility to member states, as was discussed in the green paper back in 2009. With the Lisbon treaty, the parliament now has full legislative power and we must use this power to push through a comprehensive reform which benefits both the sector and stock conservation.
As rapporteur for the common market organisation (CMO), one of the six reports that make up the CFP reform package, I have mentioned in my working document that any changes to the current regulation must be flexible enough not to burden the industry with more red tape. We must improve market transparency and product information which would allow consumers to make an informed choice about the fish products currently on the market. Market organisation is the first component of the CFP. The EU is the world’s largest market and leading importer of fisheries products and has the largest maritime territory. This growing domestic consumption of fisheries products reflects the importance of ensuring a regular supply of quality products, stabilising the market and supporting fishermen’s incomes. Fishermen and producer organisations currently play a key role in the fisheries sector but are not sufficiently equipped to deal with promoting or producing fisheries products.
An important element of the commission’s proposal is the single-storage mechanism. There are certain concerns over the level of intervention that can take place without depressing the market, while at the same time, helping fishermen to maintain a steady income in an ever fluctuating market. The best storage facility we have at our disposal is the sea.
Equally, the adequate labelling of fisheries products is an essential element of the CMO. We need to strike a balance between the provision of appropriate information to consumers and a level playing field for both fishermen and producers. Approximately two-thirds of the European fisheries products are imported. It is therefore important that the consumer knows when the product was landed. However, the commission proposal to have a mandatory date of catch is unworkable and discriminatory. A fisherman who goes out to sea for days but keeps his fish fresh will be competing against the inshore fishermen who are able to go out and come back to port in one day. The consumer may favour fish that may not meet the same hygiene standards but whose label claims that fish was caught more recently. A date of landing would be much more suitable and ensure equal treatment for all types of fisheries.
Labels must also carry easily identifiable information about where the fish was caught and if it was farmed or wild, which would improve traceability purposes. Equally, consumers should be informed as to which fisheries products have been frozen and defrosted, particularly with regard to so-called ‘fresh fish’ products which can be misleading to the consumer.
My report aims to give the current market greater scope for action in the face of the current crisis facing our fishing sector. The proposals I will make involve a host of measures which will ensure that the CMO works more effectively and which are focused on enabling producer organisations to function better in their responsibility for regulating the activity of their members in a way that benefits the whole supply chain.
Struan Stevenson is vice-chair of parliament's fisheries committee and rapporteur for the common market organisation
