Mussel processing. (Photo: Anfaco)

Mussel sector is in an 'economic emergency' status, Regulatory Council claims

SPAIN
Tuesday, January 28, 2014, 04:00 (GMT + 9)

The Galician Mussel Regulatory Council warns of the 'economic emergency' the Galician mussel farming sector is going through as a result of a number of factors. Therefore, it is requesting funds to get ahead.

Toxic episodes, activity stoppages caused by harmful algae, mussels imported free from customs duty and constant weather changes are some of the causes that have led to the current plight of the mussel industry.

This "impacts on families, small businesses and the economy in general," newspaper Faro de Vigo informed based on statements made by Francisco Alcalde and Alfonso Alcaide, Council president and economist, respectively.

According to the Council, in 2013 only 17,000 tonnes of mussels were marketed under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

While the agency does not act on behalf of most of the floating rafts, producer organizations and processors and marketers it intends to, it very well knows the mussel farming weaknesses.

Therefore, its authorities suggest a number of economic and organizational proposals to 'save the industry' from a worse future, as it has been estimated that rafts closures due to biotoxin will remain with the intensity of the past months, only few producers will be able to save their concessions.

According to the latest newsletter produced by the Council, the main claims of the two leaders are:

• Protection: They appeal to the administration calling for business protection "for a sector that produces, processes and sells seafood from Galicia", which they consider "a group that radiates socioeconomic benefits to a wide population";
• Financing: They consider "short-term credit lines should be created through the Galician Institute for Economic Promotion (Igape) aimed at the entire chain of mussels in order to meet payments";
• Promotion: Alcalde and Alcaide call for a campaign "targeted to the consumer in order to regain their confidence and encourage the demand of Galician Mussel to prevent oversupply in the market chain";
• Identification: Floating raft leaders want to undertake initiatives which may favour the identification of local products by quality and differentiation figures or marks, such as Galician Mussel DOP;
• European Funds: they regard it necessary "to reconsider the allocation of European funds, which should be directed preferentially to companies working with local resources." What they want to avoid is to help foreign products with current funding, "making them more price-competitive and favouring imports";
• Restructuring: The Council considers that producers and processors need "an organizational restructuring based on cooperation";
• Research: As a result of the difficulties experienced in recent months due to the presence of biotoxins and the subsequent farm closures, the Board considered that the sector should be directly involved in the study of toxic episodes. " This can be done by strengthening research in order to be better prepared to address the future," added Alcalde and Alcaide;
• New definition: When the Council discusses proposals to face the crisis they even refer to the need to change the way toxic episodes have been publicly addressed. The truth is that the presence of biotoxin carrier phytoplankton constitutes a situation which, although perfectly normal and being controlled by the Technological Institute for the Control of Galician Marine Environment (Intecmar), can cause alarm.

They also emphasize that the Galician mussel loses selling 100 million kg annually after the free trade agreement reached in 2007 by the European Union (EU) and Chile, which allows the entry of Chilean mussels without paying duties.

"It is intended to refer to foreign processed mussel as from Galicia in the product labelling," Alcalde complained.

In its battle against unfair competition in the chain of Galician mussel, the Galician Mussel Regulatory Council has now decided to join Origen España. Through its membership in this association, which groups the Spanish names of food, it hopes to better fight the crisis and fraud.

Related article:

- PDO Galician Mussel regulation nullity ratified

By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

 ANFACO-CECOPESCA - Asociacion Nacional de Fabricantes de Conservas de Pescados y Mariscos-

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