Restore Exports of Molluscan Shellfish to the European Union

Abstract

Since 2009 the European Union has banned the imports of molluscan shellfish from the United States. While EU regulators claim that the ban is a result of heath risks associated with US shellfish, we suspect that the ban is retaliatory and punitive and not based on actual human health issues. In 2009 FDA inspectors audited certain EU member states and found significant deficiencies in their shellfish sanitation program that preclude their imports into the US. In apparent retaliation, EU regulators have alleged various concerns related to US products, however the FDA maintains that these concerns are not based on valid health concerns. EU markets represent a significant export opportunity for US producers, however we have been unable to identify the dollar value of exports prior to the instatement of the 2009 trade restrictions. The shellfish producers in the US have been working diligently for several years in an effort to resolve the impasse without success. We are hopeful that high-level efforts to resolve non-tariff trade barriers with the EU will allow us to restore trade in shellfish with our EU customers. Background The US imports 91 percent of its seafood resulting in an annual $10.4 billion trade deficit i