EU aquaculture production has stagnated over the last decade. Today, it produces a modest 1.3 million metric tons (MT) of products with a value of EUR 3.1 billion (USD 4 billion). The sector’s underperformance is further illustrated by the widening gap between production and consumption: 10 percent of seafood consumption comes from EU aquaculture, 25 percent from EU fisheries and the remaining 65 percent from non-EU imports.
In the European Commission’s eyes, though, European aquaculture has significant growth potential, which is why aquaculture reform is an “essential opportunity” of the incoming Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), said Viktoria Varga Lencses, DG Mare, EU Commission.
In her keynote address, “EU Aquaculture in the CFP Reform: challenges and opportunities,” given at the recent Shellfish Association of Great Britain’s (SAGB’s) 44th annual conference in London, Lencses said 50 percent of global seafood consumption is already being satisfied by aquaculture and this figure is set to rise to 65 percent by 2030.
“Europe has many different species and many different production systems. We are leaders in technological research, we have a strong entrepreneurial base but the main target should be to help satisfy consumer needs because capture fisheries alone are not able to meet our growing seafood demands,” she said.
“In addition to providing fish for the market, aquaculture is an important source of coastal economic development. Each additional percentage point of EU consumption produced internally through aquaculture could create between 3,000 and 4,000 full-time jobs, most of which will be in coastal areas.”
One of the biggest hindrances to European aquaculture expansion has been the painfully slow licensing procedures. Obtaining a license for a new farm can take three to four years, which many in the industry feel has been the biggest deterrent to outside investment.
“In the EU, this is one of the main areas of concern,” acknowledged Lencses. “It is often unpredictable; it takes too long and costs a lot of money. We need to change that, make it more foreseeable and offer greater certainty to producers so that if they invest in setting up new sites, their costs will not be lost.”
To encourage new projects, the commission has incorporated an “ambitious target of one month” for a licensing decision in its Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, she said. However, it should be noted this bold deadline does not include environmental licensing.
Entrepreneurship 2020, announced at the start of the year is billed as a “blueprint for decisive joint action to unleash Europe's entrepreneurial potential.” It aims to create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs in all industries by removing growth-hindering obstacles and red tape.
In addition to reducing administrative burdens, in its “strategic guidelines for sustainable EU aquaculture,” the commission has identified a further three challenges: facilitate access to space and water through an integrated approach to spatial planning; a requirement to increase the sector's competitiveness; and a need to improve the level playing field by exploiting the competitive edge of “made in the EU” fish products.
With regards to competitive advantage, Lencses said the aim is to better communicate the sustainability, high-quality and healthy nature of EU aquaculture products to consumers.
“We know from market surveys that consumers are often ready to pay more for their products if they know they have been produced according to high standards. This can be done through labeling and improved consumer communication,” she said.
The commission had previously stated it will launch a communication campaign on the strengths of EU aquaculture later in the year.
The strategic guidelines are linked to the ongoing reform of the CFP that aims to promote aquaculture through a so-called voluntary “open method of coordination.” On the basis of these guidelines, member states will prepare Multiannual National Strategic Plans, taking into consideration each country's specific starting conditions, challenges and potential.
“These plans will have concrete objectives and numbers, saying, ‘we want to improve this situation this way and we will spend this much.’ The numbers are important because the strategic plans will somehow be linked to the financial programs,” said Lencses.
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which is expected to be the main financial tool to support aquaculture development, will wait for the strategic plans to be submitted to see how the money can best be spent, and to make sure “results are coming in the right places,” she said.
“They should be submitted by the end of 2013 because there will be funding opportunities during next year and we need to know what each country wants to spend money on.”
