As the UK authorities have announced the postponement of new veterinary border control requirements for imports of seafood and other goods, the Norwegian seafood sector has been given a longer breathing space to adapt to the new regime.
The reason stated for the postponement is that a longer dialogue is needed with the EU and other partner countries, and delays resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new requirements had been expected to be introduced on 1st October and phased in during the first half of 2022. But now products of animal origin imported into the UK will only be subject to the full veterinary border control and health certificate requirement from 1st July 2022.
‘The UK’s withdrawal from the EU will lead to more rigorous import requirements for Norwegian seafood exports, and it is important that we find good solutions so that there are as few obstacles as possible to exports. Even though we were prepared for the health certificate to be introduced from 1st October, I am pleased that the United Kingdom has now chosen to postpone this until a better system is in place,’ said Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen.
He commented that Norway has been engaged in a positive dialogue with the British authorities with a view to finding good solutions for Norwegian exports of food and other products of animal origin to the UK after Brexit.
The UK is the third largest market for Norwegian seafood measured in terms of volume and the fifth largest export market in value terms. In 2020, 147,000 tonnes of Norwegian seafood worth NoK6.2 billion were exported to the UK.
Image: Norwegian Seafood Council
