Background
TheFisheries Control Coalition is composed of nine NGOs working together to ensure transparent fisheries and traceable seafood supply chains in the EU. The coalition has been closely following the revision of the Fisheries Control Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 and is actively involved in influencing its outcome.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) objectives are to ensure that fishing and aquaculture activities are environmentally sustainable and consistently managed to achieve long-term economic, social and employment benefits. Its success depends very much on the implementation of an effective control and enforcement system. The Fisheries Control Regulation was created to provide a system of monitoring, inspection and enforcement for fishing operations in EU waters and activities of the EU fleet globally but significant weaknesses have been highlighted hence its revision.
As part of its revision, the European Commission proposes that the same traceability rules should apply to both fresh and processed seafood products, yet some EU Member States and a number of Members of the European Parliament disagree. Under the current regulation, while fresh fish has to be traced from sea to plate, processed fish does not. So while we’re given information about products such as cod fillets, we’re left in the dark when it comes to processed products such as tinned tuna or fish fingers. This means that, despite consumers best intentions to eat sustainable fish, they might be buying products that come from illegal fishing. This is undeniably a key issue considering the sheer amount of processed products that are consumed yearly.
Purpose
The consultant will aim to assess:
- The benefits (in terms of transfer of information throughout the supply chain, accuracy of information for consumers, prevention of IUU-fishing products to enter the market, etc.) of adding robust traceability of processed products to the future EU Fisheries Control regulation.
- The running argument among many member states for not including processed products in the traceability system of the future Control Regulation is that they are already sufficiently covered by other regulations (such as the FIC, EU IUU Regulation, the CMO Marketing Standards, etc.). Though processed products may indeed be covered by these regulations, their traceability, including the traceability of detailed information such as species name, catch location, etc., is not covered by these regulations. The consultant is to list the regulations that cover processed products and highlight exactly whether and how essential traceability criteria such as the species, catch area, or gear are covered by these EU regulations and why they ought to be included in the Fisheries Control Regulation.
- Optional (if time) – What digital EU wide traceability systems exist for other food products that could be used to create an EU wide digital traceability system for seafood.
Output
By March 6th, 2023 the consultant will provide:
A two-three page policy brief which evaluates the added value of including robust traceability for processed products in the revision of the control regulation.
Contract duration
Start Date: ASAP
Completion Date: March 6th, 2023 with flexibility if timeline is difficult to meet
If interested please contact Marine Cusa: mcusa@oceana.org
Relevant material
- Making seafood in the EU traceable (EU Fisheries Control Coalition)
- Seafood traceability: exemptions risk fuelling illegal fishing (WWF)
- Commission proposal for the revision of the EU Fisheries Control Regulation (European Commission)