French authorities have clarified lobster import rules after weeks of confusion and thousands of pounds in losses due to cancelled orders.
The Shellfish Association of Great Britain has confirmed that lobsters caught by non-French boats were not subject to French size requirements despite suggestions to the contrary from officials last month.
It comes after many suppliers saw shipments cancelled as France announced plans to increase the minimum landing size for lobsters to 9cm on 1 August.
“Thousands [of pounds] in value sales were dropped this week as a consequence, with exporters not wishing to take the risk,” one source told The Grocer.
The French authorities have now clarified that there is no “fisheries-related restriction” to prevent the import of UK-caught lobsters below 9cm.
The SAGB said it hoped this would give businesses “the confidence required to proceed with shipments as normal”.
While the UK has committed to set its standard as 9cm by 2028, it currently has different regional standards for the shellfish with much of the country at 8.8cm.
The UK exported £52m of lobster last year according to Seafish, accounting for around 10% of all shellfish exports. France is one of the largest users of British lobster and facilitates much of the UK’s trade with the rest of Europe.
The incident has reignited calls for the speedy implementation of an SPS deal with the EU.
Marie-Anne Omnes, head of trade marketing for Europe at Seafood Scotland, said she was “grateful” for the clarification but noted the confusion was the latest hit to seafood businesses, who have been impacted by “several changes, including post-Brexit border checks and the EU IUU [illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing] regulations”.
“This once again highlights the need for a new SPS deal that provides exporters with clarity and removes unnecessary barriers to trade between the UK and Europe,” she continued.
SAGB CEO David Jarrad added: “We’re fully supportive of an SPS deal to significantly reduce the paperwork and the inspections that are causing so many problems, [and] this is a good example for why that will help.
“We shouldn’t have this problem in the future.”
The French government was approached for comment.
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