NLIS 6
September 23, 2005
(Fisheries and Aquaculture)
Premier and minister to meet with
federal international trade minister
Premier Danny Williams and Fisheries and
Aquaculture Minister Trevor Taylor will be in Ottawa Monday to meet with federal
International Trade Minister James Peterson to discuss ways to address the high
European Union (EU) tariff on Canadian shrimp. Minister Taylor will also meet
with federal Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan on the tariff issue and a number of
other fishery-related issues important to this province.
�The 20 per cent tariff on cold-water shrimp entering the EU places our
producers at a major competitive disadvantage and it is having a serious
detrimental impact on the growth of our industry,� Premier Williams said.
�Product entering the EU from Greenland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland
is tariff free. It is incumbent upon the federal government to address this
serious and long-standing trade issue.�
The 20 per cent tariff on Canadian shrimp entering the EU is a significant
impediment to the industry�s long-term viability. Market conditions exacerbated
by the high tariff have resulted in the early closure of several of the
province�s shrimp plants.
�It is imperative that the federal government find a solution to the high
tariff, which limits our ability to access the most lucrative market in the
world for cooked and peeled shrimp,� Minister Taylor said. �I am encouraged by
the fact the two ministers have cleared their schedules to meet and discuss
possible solutions to a problem that is so important to the future of this
province�s shrimp industry.�
The limited annual quota of 7,000 tonnes of shrimp that is permitted into the EU
at a reduced tariff of six per cent was filled in mid-January. Since then, any
product entering the EU is subject to the 20 per cent tariff. This translates
into a lower price for harvesters and processors. Quebec, Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick are also impacted by the tariff, which have also experienced plant
closures this year.
Minister Taylor has met with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union,
representatives of the inshore shrimp harvesters and members of the processing
sector to discuss the ongoing problems facing the shrimp industry. The parties
agree that the tariff is a significant impediment to the growth of the industry,
and committed to working cooperatively to seek a resolution. The minister has
also met with representatives of the offshore shrimp sector to solicit their
support.
Minister Taylor will also take this opportunity to raise a number of other
issues with the federal fisheries minister, including federal support for
aquaculture development, reform of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
(NAFO) and this province�s position against listing cod as an endangered species
under the Species at Risk Act.
�As a government, we are actively working to advance the issues that are of
critical importance to the fishery in this province. We have been heavily
involved in bringing federal attention to the plight of our rural areas, the
impact of the EU tariff and the problems of overfishing and international
governance,� Minster Taylor said. �We will continue to pressure the federal
government to take action in the best interest of the province on matters of
national and international scope.�
Media contact:
Elizabeth Matthews, Premier�s Office, (709) 729-3960, 690-5500
Tracy Barron, Fisheries and Aquaculture, (709) 729-3733, 690-6157
2005 09 23
12:55 p.m. |
