Roberto Alonso, Secretary General of ANFACO-CYTMA

The Challenge of Tariff Quotas: Depletion of Tuna Loins Threatens Industrial Competitiveness

SPAIN
Monday, January 12, 2026, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

ANFACO-CYTMA warns of the urgent need to adjust volumes to protect employment and supply within the European Union

Vigo - The opening of the 2026 commercial year has confirmed the worst forecasts for the seafood processing industry. The first allocation of autonomous tariff quotas has revealed that real demand far exceeds the authorized supply, especially for critical products such as tuna loins, which have been exhausted immediately.

This mechanism, designed to allow the duty-free import of raw materials when European Union domestic production is insufficient, is the lifeline for a sector that generates more than 15,000 direct jobs in Spain.

Photo illustrative/FIS

The Tuna Loins Crisis: Tariffs Due to Lack of Foresight

The case of tuna loins is the most alarming. As the quota was exhausted in the first allocation, the European Commission was forced to apply a pro-rata distribution among requesting companies. In practice, this results in a tariff of 8.05% for the remainder of the year, increasing production costs for a food item that, according to the EUMOFA observatory, is the most consumed seafood product by European households.

In addition to tuna loins, other strategic products show worrying import pressure at the start of 2026:

• Argentine Red Shrimp: Reached 20.67% utilization in just a few days.

• Cod and Pollock: Recording high demand for the salting and freezing industries.

• Squid and Flying Squid: Essential for the ready-meals and cephalopod sectors.

Photo illustrative/FIS

External Dependency and Strategic Autonomy

ANFACO-CYTMA emphasizes an unavoidable statistical reality: nearly 70% of the seafood products consumed in the community market come from outside EU borders.

Despite progress in trade agreements, such as the recent deal with Indonesia, many of these pacts do not include immediate liberalization for strategic inputs. Therefore, autonomous tariff quotas remain the only flexible tool capable of reacting to international market volatility. They ensure that factories located in European territory remain competitive against imports from third countries that do not meet the same social and sanitary standards.

"Quotas are not a privilege, but a necessity to maintain added value and employment in Europe under high quality standards," states the Vigo-based association.

Photo illustrative/FIS

Regulation Evaluation: A Decisive Moment

The European Commission is currently evaluating the Autonomous Tariff Quotas Regulation. For the Spanish industry, it is imperative that this analysis not only ratifies the tool's utility but also results in a re-categorization of volumes to align them with market reality.

Conclusion

The processing industry, which directs the bulk of its production to the EU market, requires stability. The early depletion of tuna loins quotas sends a red alert to Brussels: without proper calibration of tariff quotas, food security and the stability of 15,000 workers in the Spanish sector could be compromised amid global uncertainty.

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