Tuna products from various manufacturers in the grocery department of a supermarket in Riga, Latvia, European Union.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
Today, September 29, marks the start of a new round of negotiations on the draft free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Thailand, with tuna production as one of the Asian country's priorities in the negotiations, according to the European Commission. For this reason, Europêche has made a new appeal to the EU not to allow duty-free entry for Thai tuna.
As it did in April this year, the association of national organizations of fishing enterprises in the EU has expressed concern about how the influx of duty-free Thai tuna could affect the European market in terms of the quality standards of tuna products in EU supermarkets.
However, in addition to this fear regarding the competitiveness of the European tuna industry, there is now another concern: given the United States' decision to increase its tariffs on Thailand, the Asian country is likely to increase its interest in the European market even further.
With around 450,000 tons of canned tuna, Thailand is the world's leading producer and exporter of canned and preserved tuna, accounting for more than 22% of global production and more than 29% of global exports. Even without tariff preferences, it is already one of the main suppliers to the EU market.
An example: between 2020 and 2023, the European Union imported 40,000 tons of Thai fishery products annually, despite the 24% tariffs in force on tuna loins and canned tuna. However, Europêche reported that the Asian country has worrying structural deficiencies that could lead to low-quality tuna products and standards.
Among these shortcomings, the representative body for fishermen in the EU blamed the Thai processing industry for importing whole tuna on a massive scale from countries with opaque practices in terms of sustainability and health compliance. Moreover, it also stated that although Thailand has ratified the International Labour Organisation's Convention 188 (ILO C188), it has not implemented it or ratified other key international conventions on human rights and labor at sea.
Finally, Europêche said that the latest European Commission audit in 2023 highlighted persistent shortcomings in food health and safety in Thailand, "revealing its inability to ensure standards that comply with European requirements."
As things stand, the association of national organizations of fishing enterprises in the EU believes that granting tariff-free access to Thai tuna products would seriously affect the competitiveness of the European tuna industry and its fleet, which, in the ultra-competitive global tuna market, is recognized as a model of sustainability and responsibility.
Monitored 24/7 via VMS, the European purse seine tuna fleet systematically embarks scientific observers, achieving 100% coverage, and applies rigorous control, monitoring, and supervision regulations, while respecting strict quotas, having MSC-certified environmental and social standards, and complying with ILO C188 requirements.
Europêche pointed out that complying with all these rules and standards requires a high level of investment, making the European fleet the most expensive to operate in the world. "EU vessels have to compete in international waters and markets with non-EU fleets that do not respect the same standards, or even engage in IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing," its release read.
Representatives of the fishing industry added that tariff liberalization for Thai tuna products would highlight the EU's paradoxes. "While the European Union continues to impose increasingly restrictive regulations on its own companies, it simultaneously allows the import of products that do not meet these same standards," Europêche claimed.
"Tuna loins and cans processed in Thailand from low-standard Asian fisheries pose a direct threat to sustainable European fleets, which face higher costs due to their rigorous control, social, and environmental standards. A Free Trade Agreement with Thailand allowing duty-free tuna products into the EU would only deepen the existing imbalance, further disadvantaging European fleets and undermining fair competition," explained Xavier Leduc, President of Europêche Tuna Group.
"Under current regulations, the EU cannot block low-standard tuna entering EU market—but it must not let it in duty-free," added Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group. The association of national organizations of fishing enterprises in the EU noted that the EU tuna sector supports more than 25,000 direct jobs across the EU, which, it said, would be at risk if the European Union allowed duty-free entry for Thai tuna.
In addition, as a result of the U.S. tariffs imposed by the Trump administration around the world, EU tuna producers may face even more aggressive competition, as the additional tariffs recently imposed by the United States on Thailand further increase the Asian country's need for tariff-free access to the European market.
For all these reasons, Europêche has asked the EU to exclude tuna products from the draft free trade agreement with Thailand and to maintain strict rules of origin. "This will help preserve the European tuna sector and guarantee a level playing field for EU producers," it said, adding that, if that is not possible, it would be mandatory to apply strict rules of origin: only for wholly obtained fish, and with no cumulation.