Brittany: The fishing industry rebels against fish imports - a familiar story?

Olivier Le Nézet, president of the Brittany fisheries committee and of the Breizhmer association, calls for "responsible behavior" in large areas. He will ask the Minister of Agriculture.

€ 1 or € 1.50 per kilogram maximum, arrived in Lorient. This is the price of hake imported from Spain. Suffice to say that hake caught by local boats does not keep up with the price tide. The same goes for monkfish. When usually the fish is bought between 5 € and 6 € per kilo from the fisherman, imported monkfish was bought half the price, even squarely flush with the daisies. The situation applies to all Breton ports.

The fishers' rant

The fishermen's rage was not long in coming. They have been under this inflation for a week. No way it lasts, they say, angry. “Some buyers play the game of local fish and others do not. These are the ones we denounce, ” insists Éric Guygniec, coordinator of seven trawlers in Lorient.

The message is relayed by Olivier Le Nézet, president of the Brittany fisheries committee and of the Breizhmer association, which brings together the Breton fishing and aquaculture sectors.

“For the past few days, massive imports have brought prices down , notes Olivier le Nézet in a press release dated Monday, April 27, 2020. However, the consumer always pays the same price at the stall. A whiting sold for 40 euro cents per kilo under the Saint Quay-Portrieux auction will be paid € 13 by the customer of a large brand located a few kilometers from the port. "

Shellfish farming also concerned

And to add: “Some big box stores have given in to the old demons of profit while they continue to show their support for French producers. […] Inadmissible in the context of France. "

Shellfish farming draws the same observation as for fish. “The sale of products from other origins, such as Ireland, while the French and Breton product is available in quantity across all the basins is not bearable. It is also untenable to attend promotional actions on oysters in this period of crisis ” , indicates, in the same press release, Sylvain Cornée, first vice-president of the regional shellfish farming committee of North Brittany.

Minister of Agriculture to be seized

Olivier Le Nézet asks supermarkets to have "responsible behavior, particularly in terms of the purchase price to producers (for example by committing to buy at pre-containment prices) and traceability, because consumers have the right to know the origin of their purchases ” .

Professionals will contact the Minister of Agriculture and Food "to put an end to these practices" .

Also read a previous article:

Fishing in Lorient. Local fish barred by imports. Hake but also monkfish, skate, cardine, etc., are imported from Spain or Ireland at prices much lower than Breton fish. In Lorient, fishermen banged their fists on the table.

The hake fished by artisanal boats from Lorient competes with hake imported from Spain or Ireland.