Novice
Eumofa Monthly Highlights 10 – 2020 is online
This month’s issue analyses first sales of Atlantic bluefin tuna (France, Italy, Spain) and Atlantic bonito (Spain, Italy Portugal). The case studies of this month are “Effects of COVID-19” and “Brown shrimp in the EU”.
The headline messages from this month’s market insights are listed below.
FIRST SALES IN EUROPE: Greece was the only Member State among the surveyed countries that recorded an increase in both value and volume of first sales between January and August 2020. This was mainly due to a higher supply of small pelagics, particularly anchovy and sardine. In August 2020, first sales decreased significantly in Poland and Sweden. The two countries are impacted by reduced fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, mainly reductions in Total Allowable Catches of cod and herring. The most recent weekly (up to week 47 of 2020) and monthly (September 2020) data for first sales in Europe can be accessed on the EUMOFA website.
FIRST SALES OF ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA AND ATLANTIC BONITO: First-sales prices of Atlantic bluefin tuna experienced a downward trend in France and Italy between September 2017 and August 2020, while in Spain they followed an increasing trend. Over the same period, prices of Atlantic bonito in Spain registered an upward trend, while in Italy and Portugal prices dropped.
EXTRA-EU IMPORTS: The price of frozen swordfish from China fluctuated from 4,27 to 6,17 EUR/kg within the past three years. In 2020, price has followed a downward trend, whilst supply has increased.
CONSUMPTION: Over the past three years, Polish consumers spent 30% less on a kilogram of fresh carp for household consumption (4,43 EUR/kg on average) than German consumers (6,29 EUR/kg).
EFFECTS OF COVID19: During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the autumn of 2020, protective measures for workers in harvesting and packing operations within the aquaculture industry have driven up costs, while a fall in demand has driven down prices.
BROWN SHRIMP IN THE EU: Global production of brown shrimp amounted to 51.179 tonnes in 2018, caught exclusively by the EU fleet. The leading producers were the Netherlands, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Denmark.
GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS: DG MARE is carrying out a public consultation on the revision of EU marketing standards regarding seafood products. The aims of the consultation are to give citizens and organisations the opportunity to inform policy development, and to gather opinions on policy options and their potential impacts. The consultation will close on 23 February 2021 and contribution can be given via the following link.
MACROECONOMIC CONTEXT: In October 2020, average prices for marine fuel in France, Italy, Spain, and the UK increased slightly, about 1% relative to the previous month, reaching an average of 0,30 EUR/litre. Compared with October 2019, fuel prices were 40% higher.
