On September 18th, the Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC), together with the Shrimp Producers Marketing Cooperative (SPMC) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), submitted a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Greer, urging the Administration to expand the United Kingdom (U.K.) market access for Oregon’s coldwater pink shrimp in trade talks with the U.K.

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The U.K. market is heavily reliant on imports to satisfy consumer demand for seafood, with nearly 80% of its seafood demand met through imports.  Coldwater shrimp, especially, has long been a staple for U.K. consumers.  Traditionally, Canada, Greenland, and Norway have been the largest suppliers of coldwater shrimp to the U.K. market.  Coldwater shrimp from these countries enjoy a preferential tariff treatment where up to certain volume of the products are allowed to enter the U.K. market tariff free.  In contrast, coldwater shrimp from the United States is subject to a steep 20% tariff rate.  

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Sold in a single frozen cooked and peeled format, Oregon pink shrimp is high quality and produced with sustainable fishing methods.  The Oregon pink shrimp fishery was the first shrimp/prawn fishery in the world to become certified against the rigorous seafood sustainability standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in 2007. The fishery remains MSC-certified, underscoring the industry’s long-term commitment to responsible fishing practices.[1]  However, the 20% tariff puts Oregon pink shrimp at a severe disadvantage in the U.K. market.

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To address this unfair trade practice, the OTC, SPMC, and ODA joined in an effort to urge the Administration to seek elimination of the U.K.’s longstanding 20% tariff on Oregon pink shrimp.  Alternatively, the OTC, SPMC, and ODA urged the Administration to negotiate an Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) for Oregon pink shrimp, if full tariff removal is not possible.  An ATQ would ensure that Oregon pink shrimp receives the same treatment as that afforded to shrimp from Canada, Greenland, and Norway.  Importantly, either proposal would not only open the U.K. market to Oregon shrimp exports, but also provide British seafood processors with a reliable, sustainable supply of coldwater shrimp.

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Read the OTC, SPMC, and ODA’s full letter here.

 

[1]  Oregon Trawl Commission, “Oregon Pink Shrimp,” https://www.oregontrawl.org/fisheries/oregon-pink-shrimp.

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