Importing Fish and Seafood under CETA
Fish and Seafood
Under CETA, almost 96% of EU tariff lines for fish and seafood products have become duty-free. Furthermore, 100% of these tariff lines will be duty free on January 1, 2024.
Qualifying products under CETA product specific rules of origin (PSRO)
To be eligible for preferential tariff treatment in the EU, fish and seafood products under the Harmonized System (HS) Chapter 3 and 16 require that products be wholly obtained in Canada. This means:
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Caught by Canadians fishing in Canadian waters, OR
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Caught in the Canadian/European Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZs), in the high seas or in the EEZs of other countries by licensed Canadians using registered vessels that are entitled to fly the Canadian flag.
For fish and seafood products that do not meet the wholly obtained requirement, there are provisions whereby limited quantities of certain processed fish and seafood products that are produced using imported, non-originating materials can qualify for preferential treatment when imported into the EU. These origin quotas are applicable to:
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Certain frozen fillets of halibut;
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Cooked and frozen lobster;
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Prepared and preserved lobster
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Prepared or preserved salmon;
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Prepared or preserved herring;
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Prepared or preserved shrimps and prawns
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Prepared or preserved sardines,
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Prepared or preserved crab
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Labelling – new EU regulation came into force December 2014
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Maximum Residue Levels (for example, cadmium in oysters), must be respected as per EU requirements
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a series of rules that include the export of fish and seafood in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) and that exporters must follow regards of the rules in the country of export. For additional information check out this link.
CETA Tariff Rate Quotas
Under CETA, the European Union has established annual duty-free tariff-rate-quotas for several products including shrimp, and cod. Details can be found inAnnex 2-Aof the CETA Agreement.
Examples of products satisfying CETA rules of origin:
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Fish that are caught or aquacultured/farmed in Canadian waters and fish caught in international waters by vessels that are registered in Canada.
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Finished products produced or transformed in Canada using non-originating materials in accordance with the product-specific rules of origin. This includes using imported materials or ingredients in a Canadian product.
Under CETA, almost 96% of EU fish and seafood tariff lines have been eliminated, in particular:
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Live Lobster
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Frozen lobster, whole
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Frozen lobster, not whole
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Processed lobster
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Frozen and fresh scallops
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Frozen shrimp
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Cooked and peeled shrimp in retail packages
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Fresh or chilled hake
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Dried and salted cod
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Frozen herring
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Frozen mackerel
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Fresh or chilled halibut
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Fresh mussels
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Salmon
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Processed salmon
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Fresh/ live crab
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Frozen snow crab
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Frozen crab other than snow crab
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Dogfish
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Oysters
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Prepared or preserved mussels (excl. Mytilus and Perna)
The remaining EU fish and seafood tariffs to be phased out in 2024
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Cooked and peeled shrimp in wholesale packages or in airtight containers (20%)
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Frozen fillets of cod (7.5%)
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Prepared or preserved mussels (Mytilus and Perna) (20%)
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Prepared or preserved bonito (25%)
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Prepared or preserved crab (8%)
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Processed fillets of trout, including smoked (9% and 12%)
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Prepared or preserved tunas or skipjack (24%)
Check out Access2Markets to confirm if the product you are aiming to import into the EU qualifies for tariff preference under CETA.
If you export fish and seafood products, please check this GUIDE for Canadian businesses. The most up to date information can be found here and here.
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Get in contact with the Trade Commissioner Service at espana@international.gc.ca