Longtail tuna on market. High protein and cheap. It is very abundant in the andaman sea phuket area Thailand.
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The leading representative organization of the fishing industry in Europe, Europêche, has expressed concern following the start of negotiations on the draft free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Thailand.
Specifically, Europêche has requested the exclusion of tuna products from this agreement due to the potential negative impact it could have on the European tuna industry.
According to the organization, if the treaty included this species, the 24% tariff applied to the average 10,000 tonnes of exports to the EU each year would be abolished.
This would lead to a massive influx of imports, as it is important to remember that Thailand is the world’s largest producer and exporter of tuna, with an annual production of approximately 470,000 tonnes of canned and prepared tuna.
As the main drawbacks, Europêche warns of the threat of increasing and unfair competition, as well as the emergence of low-quality products in supermarkets that do not meet the same social, environmental, and control standards.
"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," Xavier Leduc, President of Europêche Tuna Group, detailed.
In addition, Thailand maintains relationships with countries that have opaque practices in terms of sustainability and sanitary compliance, and has not implemented the International Labour Organisation's Convention 188.
Finally, the European Commission in 2023 identified flaws in health and food safety, showing its inability to ensure standards that comply with European requirements.
"Under current regulations, the EU cannot block low-standard tuna entering the EU market—but it must not let it in duty-free," Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group, concluded.
