From ANFACO Press Release
ANFACO, the National Association for the Manufacturers of Canned Fish and Seafood asked the EU Fisheries Commissioner, MarÃa Damanaki, protect against fish imports from Thailand, especially canned tuna.
The General Secretary of ANFACO, Juan Manuel Vieites, said that Thai products are an unfair competition for European industry.
According to Vieites, Spain is Europe’s leading producer of canned fish products, producing 67 per cent of the total amount in Europe, and second worldwide. But he also said that it has been the hardest hit state in the European Union (EU), and that the unfair competition is also affecting the industries in Portugal, France and Italy.
ANFACO warned that EU manufacturers are required to meet many health and tracking requirements of their products. However, EU’s Asian competitors do not have to comply with these requirements.
He called cases in which even fish caught illegally had been supplied.
In this regard, Vieites recalled a case in Sri Lanka, when the country was "disqualified" from supplying to the EU for failing to meet European regulations.
The Spanish processing industry has already expressed its concern over trade negotiations and the agreement between the EU and Papua New Guinea as well as Fiji, which facilitates the sale of products from Thailand and the Philippines.
As part of the fisheries agreement, one of the most alarming aspects for ANFACO is the repeal of the rules of origin for tuna products.
The industrialists alleged that they are granting benefits to Thailand and the Philippines, and assures them that they should have to join the EU's "superb" standards.
Lastly, the head of ANFACO addressed the allegations of dumping in American Samoa, a US territory that is in the Pacific Ocean and whose industry is affected by Thai fishing products produced at lower costs.