The Aqua Nor aquaculture industry exhibition opened Trondheim this week, one of the first seafood industry exhibitions to take place since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen took the opportunity to meet his British counterpart Victoria Prentis before the event.
Their discussion focused on fisheries policy, and on 2022 bilateral agreements and the seafood trade between Norway and the UK.
‘Norway and the United Kingdom are close neighbours and share many views on sustainable management of our common fish stocks. We aim to build on the long-term cooperation on management and access to each other’s fishing zones, as when the United Kingdom was a member of the EU. I understood that Minister Prentis has a sincere desire to reach solutions for 2022, after this transitional year in which the UK has had to adjust to a completely new situation,’ Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen said.
At the meeting, the ministers also discussed the forthcoming requirements from the United Kingdom for a health certificate when exporting seafood from Norway to the United Kingdom. In addition to the need for good digital arrangements, this entails some new challenges for established logistics in the seafood trade.
Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen believes that this can be resolved if the parties enter into a constructive dialogue at a technical level.
‘Fishing is an international activity, and seafood trade is dependent on good arrangements between exporter and importer countries. The United Kingdom gives the impression of being a constructive partner in co-operation in the North-East Atlantic. It bodes well for the future,’ he said.
