MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Vigo anticipates a 50,000 tons Falklands' Loligo catch but it will have to pay tariff to access the EU

Javier Touza underlined the exceptional catch and the raft of conservation measures to ensure the Loligo fishery (Pic La Voz de Galicia)

The Falkland Islands' fishing industry partners/associates in Vigo are faced with good and bad news. The good news is that the Loligo catch is expected to reach 50,000 tons, while the bad news is that the exceptional squid harvest expected to begin arriving next week in Vigo will be, for the first time facing a 6% tariff when landed in Spain, according to the Galicia media.

This is because the Falkland Islands have been explicitly excluded from the UK/European Union Brexit accord.

 Galicia media quote Javier Touza, president of Vigo fisheries industry, ARVI, who expressed satisfaction with the results of the current Loligo season, emphasizing the conservation measures, including scientific observers onboard vessels since 2018 which have resulted in the protection of the fishery plus stable catches, even above the average in the last four years.

However, the other side of the coin is that later in May the first containers will be arriving in Vigo, and to introduce the catch in the European Union, they will have to pay a range of tariffs from 6% to 16%, be it squid or fish.

“It's millions we have to pay. Hopefully, we can modify this situation basically because the common market is short of cephalopods and they are needed by industry, the companies need the produce to supply the community market. Tariffs are an over cost.”

Touza finally told Atlantico News that said that the second squid season begins at the end of July, for 60 days. “Here we elaborate all the products, we have a 750.000 cubic meters cold capacity, and from here it is distributed to the rest of the world”. Falklands catches represent 25% of Vigo imports.