According to the Secretary General of the National Association of Canned Fish and Shellfish Producers (ANFACO), Juan Vieites, the Spanish tuna industry and especially the Spanish canning companies have done a great investment effort in the last few years in third countries, which totaled more than 200 million euros. These investments are divided between fleet, personnel, and processing and storage facilities.
ANFACO recently requested the Ministry of Agriculture "the maximum" support for the canning industry before the opening and the liberalization of the markets.
According to Vieites, after a meting with the minister of Agriculture, Miguel Arias Cañete, to analyze the proposals of the European Commission with respect to the tariff liberalization of some canned fish products: "we are gambling with our own identity, the market and the continuity of companies and their well–established brands". For that reason it was again pointed out that Spain is the leading producer within European Union of canned tuna and the second tuna producing zone in the world and that it is essential that the Spanish Government considers modifications or proposals that take place in different contexts of the European law and trading treaties.
Vieites asked the Government to start to work "and warm up the engines" in defense of the tuna fishing sector and reiterated, before the beginning of a change in the international trade, the necessity to look for "the maximum collaboration and formulas to defend the sector before the EU and the World Trade Organization (WTO).â€
In relation to the best future strategies for the tuna sector, ANFACO emphasizes that the next months will be vital, when topics like the Andean Pact with South and Central America, the agreements with third countries, the Free Trade Zone between EU and Mexico, the customs rights and the opening of contingents with the Asian nations, Trade International - multilateral organizations, World Trade organization (WTO) -, as well as the olive oil restitution for the canned production.
Other subjects discussed during the recent meeting were the labeling of yellowfin tuna and ANFACO’s 100-year anniversary next year.