SEA-FISHERIES PROTECTION AUTHORITY LAUNCHES REPORT ON PROTECTING SEAFOOD TRADE

Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority launches report on protecting seafood trade. 

• A total of 5,959 consignments of seafood totalling 63,768 tonnes and 26 species were certified by the SFPA for export from 61 Food Businesses to 46 countries outside the EU in 2024.
• The volume of exports in 2024 was 57% higher than the volume in 2023 (49,782 tonnes) but remained 18% lower than the volume of 78,181 tonnes achieved in 2022.
• Three countries account for 61.1% of Irish Seafood exported outside the EU in 2024: Nigeria 45.7%, Ghana 7.8%, and the UK 7.6%.
• The vast majority (87.5%) of seafood exported consisted of pelagic species including Blue Whiting, Mackerel and Horse Mackerel.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has launched the Protecting Seafood Trade Report 2024. The report highlights the important work the SFPA conducts to protect and enable the import and export of seafood. Irish seafood exports in 2024 were valued at €595 million. As Ireland’s competent authority for seafood trade compliance, the SFPA undertakes a range of activities critical to enabling Ireland’s seafood economy.

2024 was a year of recovery for Ireland’s international seafood trade with both values and volumes of seafood traded between Ireland and its global partners seeing significant increases relative to 2023. Third country exports from Ireland increased to 63,768 tonnes and 26 species from 61 Food Businesses to 46 countries outside the EU in 2024 from 49,782 tonnes in 2023, representing a 28% year-on-year increase in export volumes. The SFPA certified 5,959 export consignments of seafood in 2024 compared with 3,802 consignments in 2023, representing a 57% year-on-year increase in export health certificates provided.

Protecting seafood trade by ensuring highly functioning levels of regulatory assurance is a critical element of the SFPA’s mission as the competent authority responsible for ensuring the international integrity of Ireland’s seafood offering. The information provided in the Protecting Seafood Trade 2024 report offers data in terms of the key trends facing the sector at this present time and highlights an important element of SFPA’s activity as a regulator.

Paschal Hayes, Executive Chairperson of the SFPA said:

“I welcome the launch of the SFPA’s report on Seafood Trade 2024. Ireland as a food exporting nation places significant emphasis on our position as a supplier of safe, traceable, sustainably produced high-quality food and the SFPA plays a vital role in ensuring the integrity of our valuable seafood offering.

Fish is highly traded in international markets. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a significant threat to the future of fishing. IUU fishing jeopardises the development of sustainable fisheries on which many coastal communities globally rely for their livelihoods, including in Ireland. As regulators, we are committed to utilising all the controls available to us to help detect and deter IUU fishing and IUU derived fishery products within our jurisdiction.

Regulation, including health certification, also underpins confidence in the safety of Irish seafood products, providing vital reassurance to retailers, hospitality businesses, and consumers at home and abroad. Retaining Ireland’s growing reputation for producing superior seafood is essential and the integrity of the supply chain is vital in this regard.

In 2024, the SFPA continued to develop its work in seafood trade regulation through the provision of technical market access support, performing official controls of seafood safety and sea-fisheries conservation. Implementation and enforcement by the SFPA of EU official control regulation and fisheries conservation legislation continue to provide the regulatory baselines upon which Ireland’s robust seafood certification system is built. Inspection and health certification of export consignments provides public health and customer assurance regarding seafood safety and quality standards.”

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