The combined effects of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have made the EU ever more dependent on cod from outside the bloc, putting supplies at risk.
Cod is one of the most popular fish in the EU, ranking behind tuna and salmon, with 2.1kg consumed per person each year.
But fulfilling demand through EU domestic catches alone is not possible and countries outside of the EU have been topping up supply for decades. “For every 10 kg of cod consumed in the EU, 9 kg needs to be imported from third countries,” said EU seafood market expert Mike Turenhout from AIPCE-CEP.
The maximum contribution of cod by EU fishermen is limited by the level of the EU cod quota available for EU and non-EU waters. Around half of the EU catch is from non-EU waters, meaning that, technically, import dependency is even larger.
When the UK was in the EU, around 1.2 million tonnes of cod was available for the EU seafood market, of which around 85% was from non-EU sources. Brexit and the pandemic have put further pressure on stocks and import dependency is expected to rise to more than 90%.
To ensure the continued availability of this popular choice, fish processors and traders around the EU are hopeful that industry will not be hampered by the burden of tariff and non-tariff barriers.
