Nov
11
Farmed trout harvesting. (Photo: Menudas)
APROMAR requires Brussels to moderate trout imports from Turkey
SPAIN
Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 03:00 (GMT + 9)
The Business Association of Marine Aquaculture Producers (APROMAR) calls on the European Commission (EC) to act against trout imports from Turkey, considering that they are causing a significant price drop of products from the European Union.
Currently, Galicia accounts for 24 per cent of the Spanish trout production with 4,100 tonnes shipped to the market in 2013.
But due to the large volume of Turkish trout entering the country, some companies in the sector have had to leave the activity. Given this situation, APROMAR intends for the agreement signed between the EU and the Turkish government in 1998 to be respected, reported La Opinión.
This agreement provides for the elimination of tariffs on imports and exports of agricultural products of the two parties, and changes are expected if the business relationship harms the interests of any of the signatories.
According to Article 5 of the association agreement, “when quantities or prices of the products imported from the other party for which a preferential treatment has been granted, which causes or threatens to cause market disruption to the markets in the EC or Turkey, consultations will be held as soon as possible within the Association Council. “
“This does not preclude the implementation, in an emergency, of the measures provided for in Community or Turkish legislation,” it adds.
For Spanish aquaculture producers, the conditions to convene the Association Council are being given as well as to limit imports of Turkish trout.
APROMAR argues that “the Turkish subsidy system violates this agreement and the EU must take appropriate and swift measured to protect and defend the EU aquaculture from unfair competition.”
The association stressed that the Turkish aquaculture grew by 270 per cent from 2002 to 2012, with a trout production of nearly 115,000 tonnes per year.
And it asserts that the high growth was “the result of over 10 years of government support to the sector, in which the Turkish government offered insurance direct grants, subsidized loans and insurance” to producers.
Thanks to these advantages, the price of imported goods from Turkish companies is “significantly lower” than the average price of the trout sold by the Community industry.
The Spanish aquaculture industry began to feel the impact of Turkish trout imports in 2008, when its exports fell. “This prevented EU farmers and producers from keeping their prices within a profitable level, causing great damage to the whole European industry and in particular, to the Spanish one,” explains the association.
According to APROMAR, “unfair competition” from Turkey made Spain change from exporting 6,000 tonnes of trout per year in 2005-2006 to 4,000 tonnes in 2013.
And apart from the decline in production, the sector has been affected by a significant decline in prices.
“The collapse of the Spanish exports led to a decline in production. Some of the most important exporters in Spain had to cease trading and close their facilities after the massive influx of Turkish products into the German markets since 2008,” reported APROMAR.
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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