Environmental law – aquaculture sector
Council approves conclusions on the new aquaculture strategic guidelines for a more sustainable, resilient and competitive aquaculture sector
On 18 July 2022 the Agriculture and Fisheries Council endorsed the European Commission’s guidelines for more sustainable aquaculture in the EU for the 2021- 2030 period. These guidelines update administrative procedures to adapt them to more alleged environmentally friendly methods of achieving needed space and water quality. They also correlate aquaculture growth to organic agriculture and mention the vitalness of the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production.
The Council proposed to make the following changes to these guidelines:
1) a greater concentration on research, innovation, and cooperation at the international level.
2) changes to the management of predatory populations and diseases, which currently pose a threat to successful aquaculture development. According to the Council, the current solution of compensation is not enough to attract operators.
3) to create a transparent reward system for environmentally friendly producers and a system for raising consumer awareness—to increase interaction.
4) to generate a stronger correlation between new aquaculture sector management and environmental legislation, as the process to dispose of water and handle potential emissions in such sectors requires collaborating laws.
Following this approval, the European Commission will be expected to either propose to amend existing legislation (such as EU Regulation 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products) or to issue brand-new proposed legislation.
