Sri Lanka sanctions could affect €74m worth of imports

The European Commission’s ban on fishery products on Sri Lanka could affect imports worth around €74 million a year. The European Union imported 7,400 metric tons of fishery products from Sri Lanka last year, worth €74m, a commission spokesperson said. In particular, the ban is likely to be problematic for importers of fresh swordfish and tuna, especially yellowfin. ‘Sri Lanka is one of the biggest exporters to the EU of high value fresh and chilled swordfish, tuna and tuna-like species,’ said the spokesperson. The sanctions apply specifically to all products caught by Sri Lanka-flagged vessels, whether or not processed or exported by Sri Lanka. Conversely, they would not apply to products from non-Sri Lanka-flagged vessels, even if processed in the country. A 2009 report from Seafish on yellowfin tuna said Sri Lanka, along with the Maldives, is the main supplier of chilled Indian Ocean yellowfin to the UK. Eurostat statistics show the EU imported €3.9m worth of chilled and fresh yellowfin tuna from Sri Lanka last year. Of this, France was the major buyer, importing 337t for €2.788m, according to undercurrentnews.com