Norwegian salmon exports affected by EU barns requirements
Norway bristled at the EU’s requirements for organic sheep farming, which can stop the export of organic salmon.
Salmon production follows EU ecological regulations, but may still be affected because of violations in Norwegian sheep production, newspaper Dagens Næringsliv said.
Norwegian sheep farmers use digested barn floor to remove muck easier away, but the EU believes that a solid floor is better for the animals. The Norwegian sheep production is therefore against the rules for the organic label, which may affect more than just mutton.
According to Seafood Norway, we are talking about organic salmon for one billion which may lose the symbol if Norway does not implement EU legislation.
– It is unacceptable that Norway as the world’s largest exporter of organic salmon is about to be banned from its key market because we have not yet managed to adapt to the European quality standards for organic food production, says CEO of Salmar Leif Nordhammer.
So far, both France and Britain have stopped importing Norwegian organic salmon.
– We are losing market access on a conveyor belt, said Nordhammer.
In September Agriculture Minister Jon Georg Dale (FRP) will meet with the EU agricultural commissioner to discuss the matter.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
