Finnian O’Luasa, Bord Bia Paris

Origin identification for caught seafood comes under EU regulation (EC 2065/2001) which requires the mention of catch area. For example fish caught off the coasts of Ireland or France require the mention “Fished in FAO 27” or “Fished in the North East Atlantic”. For local caught fish in local European markets this may lead to dilution of both provenance and cultural identifications.

To strengthen consumer identification with local seafood and also address consumer drivers for sustainability, the French food development agency France Agrimer are launching a collective brand called “Pêcheur Responsable” based on the European code of good practise for responsible fishing. The standard is independently certified by an EN45011 certified auditor. To comply with full transparency, France Agrimer will include on their web site a list of authorised certifying bodies, the list of audited members that conform to the standard as well as the list of local structures that work with members in the pre audit phase. This auditing structure allows smaller companies to avail of the scheme by an astute balance between internal controls and external audits of these controls while avoiding the need to carry out costly audits of individual vessels at sea.

France already has many regional fishing associations who have made good progress on local provenance labels in the past such as Bretagne Qualté Mer, and Normandie Fraicheur Mer, This national initiative demonstrates increasing solidarity among the fishing sector to find collective solutions on a national level.

On a more global level the Marine Stewardship Council have also come closer to the local consumer by adapting their logo to local markets through a re launch of the renowned label in French.