The Market Advisory Council (MAC) delivered recommendations to the European Commission and to the EU Member States on the disturbances in the market of fisheries and aquaculture products due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The entire supply chain (fishers, aquaculture farmers, processors, traders, retailers) has been facing problems, such as daily fluctuations and increase of marine fuel prices, shortages and increased prices of inputs and raw materials, higher energy and fuel costs, slowdown in exports, decreases in consumer demand, high inflation, and employment difficulties.
In the view of the MAC, the Commission provided, promptly, appropriate measures to mitigate the impacts of the crisis, placing all the necessary tools at the disposal of Member States. Nevertheless, a level-playing-field is lacking in the implementation of the support measures at the national level. Furthermore, the processing and retail sectors have not always been covered.
According to MAC members:
- Coordination between the Commission and the Member States is needed to ensure that national authorities use all available aid instruments, avoiding the creation of an uneven-playing-field across the EU, including in terms of amounts provided and access conditions, covering the entire fisheries and aquaculture chain.
- Implementation of aid measures must continue and the maximum amount of support to each individual undertaking in the sector should be increased.
- Ongoing shifts in purchasing habits of consumers, particularly substitution of fisheries and aquaculture products for cheaper products, must be monitored and reported on.
- Crisis prevention and improvement of resilience of the EU agri-food systems must be worked on, while accounting for the dependency on imports and restricted scope to increase domestic supply as well as the sector’s added value for the environment, food security, and local and coastal development.
Pedro Reis Santos, Secretary General, emphasised: “The support measures developed at EU-level to face the current crisis were welcomed by the stakeholders. Nevertheless, it is essential to ensure a level-playing-field across the EU in the access to the aid instruments and a proper implementation of the measures by the Member States, in order to avoid bankruptcies in the sector as well as to guarantee the continued provision of sustainable food”.