NEW USA IMPORT RESTRICTIONS FOR SALMONIDS AND SPINY LOBSTER

New USA import restrictions for salmonids and spiny lobster. The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) recently issued an Information Notice to industry on new USA import restrictions for salmonids and spiny lobster. The Information Notice was issued in relation to technical requirements for Irish companies trading with the USA in an evolving third country regulatory environment.

The USA Authorities have informed the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM), and the SFPA, that from the 1^st of January 2026, salmon from an aquaculture source, and spiny lobster, cannot be exported from Ireland to the USA. This is due to a determination made by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), following a comparability finding conducted by them on legislation of harvesting nations who export fishery products to the USA. In Ireland’s case, the required equivalence has been deemed by NOAA not to be present due to a provision in the Wildlife Act, which does not conform with the relevant US legislation in this area.

Exports of these products to the USA will need to cease from the 1^st of January 2026. In addition, NOAA are implementing a requirement for export consignments of similar products covered by certain Combined Nomenclature codes to be accompanied by documentation essentially attesting that the consignments do not contain salmon of aquaculture origin or common spiny lobster. This document is called a Certificate of Admissibility (COA). These COAs will be required from 1^st of January 2026 and will be provided by the SFPA on request. A full list of the commodity codes requiring one of these COAs can be found in the Information Notice.

All trade in all other products not mentioned above or found in the commodity code list can continue after 1^st of January 2026 as it currently does now. Exporters are advised to plan for the implementation of these changes as outlined above. Irish exporters will be advised if, and when any developments to these restrictions arise.

Queries regarding this information notice may be addressed to: SFPATradeandAudit@sfpa.ie

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