Food security in the spotlight, as EU launches Europe-wide aquaculture awareness-raising campaign

The European Commission today launched a major EU-wide campaign to promote aquaculture, aiming to boost public awareness and support for the sustainable farming of fish, shellfish, and algae across the European Union.

The campaign, titled "EU aquaculture. We work for you with passion," was unveiled at a launch event this morning in Brussels hosted by Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis. Developed in collaboration with EU Member States and the Aquaculture Advisory Council, the initiative seeks to highlight the benefits of aquaculture for food security, local economies, and environmental sustainability.

Over the next three months, the campaign will spotlight nine emblematic species - mussels, trout, clams, sea bream, oysters, carp, salmon, meagre, and seaweed - through videos, educational content, and a road trip visiting aquaculture sites across the EU.

The goal, according to the European Commission, is to offer citizens an immersive “farm to plate” experience and shine a light on the people and practices behind the sector.

Despite a global increase in aquaculture production, the European Commission notes that growth of the sector within the EU has stalled since 2018, due in part to limited public awareness and resistance to new aquaculture sites. The campaign aims to change this by showcasing the sector’s contributions to sustainable food systems and its potential to reduce EU dependency on seafood imports.

Today's event, which was livestreamed, featured a high-level panel discussion with Jacek Czerniak, State Secretary at Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Marina Argyrou, Cyprus' Director General for Fisheries, Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral, a member of the European Parliament PECH Committee, Piotr Całbecki, Chair of the NAT Commission in the European Committee of the Regions, and Piroska Kállay, President of the Permanent Group on Sustainable Food Systems in the European Economic and Social Committee.

Czerniak said that he saw aquaculture and seafood as key to European food security, and spoke of the "huge potential" for aquaculture, but warned that one challenge was encouraging young people to pursue careers in the sector.

Cabral also argued that aquaculture is key for food security and the "strategic autonomy of the European Union", pointing out that the EU imports 70% of the seafood it consumes.

"It's imperative to bet on aquaculture," he said, suggesting that the EU should require "equal standards" for non-EU aquaculture production, and arguing that producers outside the EU benefit from lower costs and fewer barriers than EU producers.

"We need to find a way to compensate the European producers related to the administrative burden, barriers, licences, and the question of the fragmentation of aquaculture production in the European Union," he said.

"That's why campaigns like this are so important, because we need to pass on the message to Europeans that the products from aquaculture are safe, and also produced in a sustainable way," Cabral added.

The event also featured a panel discussion with aquaculture producers from across the EU, covering topics such as social licence and educating the public, in addition to encouraging young people to join the sector.

The panel included Phillipp Mohnen of German trout farm Mohnen Aquaculture, Anna Koumenou from Greek sea bass and sea bream farmer Blue Farm AE, French oyster and mussel farmers Paul and Caroline Scotti, and Anna Pyc of Pustelnia Fish Farm, a Polish trout and carp farm.

Mohen, Koumenou and Caroline Scotti are all featured in the campaign website on the "Meet the Producers" page.

The event concluded with a discussion featuring Belgian retailer Colruyt Group, which in addition to selling aquaculture products, operates its own sea farm producing Belgian mussels.

All the campaign materials are now available on the official campaign website, and tagged as #EUaquaculture on the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries' social media channels.