EU Seafood Alliance Regrets Exclusion of Aquatic Foods from EU Protein Agenda

A group of European seafood and fishing industry groups is opposing the exclusion of aquatic foods from the EU protein agenda.

The European Union Seafood Alliance (EUSeA), bringing together EAPO, Europêche, FEAP, Seafood
Europe and EMPA, welcomes the European Commission’s renewed focus on protein resilience, strategic autonomy and sustainable food systems, following the publication of the Action Plan for resilience, strategic autonomy and sustainability of the EU protein system and the EU Strategy on Livestock.

Together, these initiatives set an important direction for Europe’s food future. They recognize the need to
strengthen resilience, reduce strategic dependencies and support more sustainable food production.
However, the EU Seafood Alliance stresses that Europe’s protein strategy will remain incomplete if aquatic
foods are not recognized.

Aquatic foods are already available, nutritious and high-quality sources of protein. They contribute to
healthy diets, coastal communities, responsible production, processing activities, employment, trade,
consumer choice and food-system resilience.

Seafood must be part of Europe’s protein conversation. If the EU wants a resilient, sustainable and
strategically autonomous protein system, aquatic foods cannot remain at the margins. Fisheries,
aquaculture, processing and trade are part of Europe’s food security and competitiveness agenda.
EUSeA underlines that the recent shift in the Commission’s approach towards livestock is particularly
noteworthy1. Whereas livestock was long considered mainly a source of emissions, it is now recognized as critical element for Europe’s food security. Fisheries and aquaculture deserve the same strategic recognition.

A genuine paradigm shift is needed – one that sees aquatic food production not as part of the problem, but as an essential contributor to food security, coastal resilience, strategic autonomy and the sustainable
management of marine resources. These objectives remain crucial, and the EU protein agenda should
therefore ensure stronger coherence between the different Commission services.

EUSeA therefore calls once again for an EU Action Plan for Blue Foods to be fully reflected in the
forthcoming Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040. This Vision should be ambitious and become
the Commission’s main strategic framework for recognizing and strengthening the contribution of aquatic
foods to Europe’s food system. It should also ensure that aquatic foods are properly integrated into the
wider EU protein and livestock agendas, which explicitly exclude fisheries, aquaculture, and their
processing sectors despite being an important source and user of protein in the EU’s food and feed system.

We want to ensure that Europe’s food and protein strategy reflects the full diversity of responsible protein
sources available to European consumers. The Alliance highlights the potential of making full and
responsible use of aquatic biological resources. EU initiatives2 demonstrate how fisheries and aquaculture
by-products can be transformed into high-value food ingredients, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, biomaterials,
packaging, construction materials, water treatment solutions, soil amendments and bio-based fertilizers.
They also illustrate the potential to create new value chains for invasive species and species with limited or no commercial demand.

The EU Seafood Alliance stands ready to work with the European Commission in the preparation of the
Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040 and in the implementation of the EU protein and livestock
agenda to ensure that Europe’s protein strategy reflects the contribution of all responsible food sectors,
including aquatic foods.

About EAPO, EMPA, Europêche, FEAP and Seafood Europe

The European Association of Fish Producers Organization (EAPO), European Mollusc Producers Association (EMPA), Europêche, Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) and Seafood Europe represent key parts of the European fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing and trading value chain. Together, they work to promote responsible seafood production and trade, support resilient coastal and food systems, and advocate for policies that strengthen sustainable growth, food security and competitiveness across the European seafood sector.

Seafood Europe represents EU national associations of fish processors and traders.