VANCOUVER, Oct. 18, 2013 /CNW/ - The Canada-EU trade deal is good news for the seafood sector, according to Christina Burridge, Executive Director of the BC Seafood Alliance, representing wild fisheries on the West Coast. Seafood is BC's most valuable agrifood export commodity worth about $1 billion annually. Wild seafood accounts for almost 2/3 of that total.
Burridge noted that seafood consumption is growing in the EU and its consumers are prepared to pay high prices for safe, sustainable, healthy products. "While we have exported canned salmon to Europe for more than 100 years, high tariffs, often more than 20%, have made it very difficult to increase exports to this lucrative market," she said.
Foreseeing increased demand for BC's salmon, tuna, groundfish and shellfish, she paid tribute to the government's commitment to expanding trade. "Trade means jobs. It helps maintain Canadians' standard of living. This agreement means new market opportunities for fishermen and processors up and down the coast."
SOURCE: BC Seafood Alliance
Contact: Christina Burridge, 604.377.9213, [email protected]
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