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Commercial Fishing

SFPA PUBLISHES NEW FIN ON LABELLING ON BOARD FREEZER VESSELS

SFPA PUBLISHES NEW FIN ON LABELLING

SFPA publishes new FIN on labelling on board freezer vessels.  The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) recently published a new Fishery Information Notice (FIN) titled ‘Labelling On Board Freezer Vessels.’ The FIN sets out the various Fisheries Control and Food Safety Regulatory requirements that apply.  It is a matter for each operator to examine and evaluate how their work practices conform with the regulatory requirements and how they should be applied onboard their vessels. To ensure maximum compliance with all the regulatory requirements it is advisable that all containers/boxes be labelled, for example, for frozen products stored in 3kg and 9kg cartons/boxes, the 3kg and 9kg containers must both be labelled.  Such an approach should give operators maximum comfort in terms of compliance with food safety, traceability, and fisheries control requirements. 

REGULATION (EU) 2024/2594 requires that all boxes or blocks of frozen product caught within the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) Convention Area – which includes all waters surrounding Ireland – shall be physically labelled on board at the time of stowage.

Labels must include an identification mark with the vessel’s approval number, the name of the vessel, the three-letter Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) species code, the production date, and the catch area (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) sub-area and division). Where frozen products are stored in 3kg and 9kg cartons or boxes, both the 3kg and 9kg containers shall be labelled with this information.

Further detail must be provided either on the label or accompanying commercial documentation once the products are grouped into lots. Operators of freezer vessels pre-packing products for the final consumer must ensure their labels include the mandatory information to the final consumer, as detailed in the FIN. At all stages, operators must provide sufficient information on labels or commercial documents to enable retailers to pass on the mandatory information to final consumers.

Operators of freezer vessels and food businesses handling frozen fishery products should familiarise themselves with the FIN and the requirements for labelling. Example labels and further guidance can be found in the FIN.

The SFPA is committed to supporting compliance with both new and existing legislation and are available to provide guidance. For assistance or further details on the FIN, please contact: sfpafood&fisheriessupport@sfpa.ie

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