FAO E-MAIL CONFERENCE ON FISH TRADE AND FOOD SECURITY Audun Lem Even though the
conference did not deal explicitly
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BACKGROUND The FAO E-mail Conference on Fish Trade and In response, FAOs Fish Utilization and Marketing Service (FIIU) commissioned three papers, one on each of the particular topics, and those papers were put forward as starting points for discussion in the e-mail conference: does international trade in fishery products contribute to food security ? (by John Kurien) distribution of benefits from international trade in fishery products (by Ragnvaldur Hannesson) barriers to international trade in fisheries There were over 150 persons on the list of participants, with a significant participation from developing countries. In all, there were 21 formal interventions, plus additional notes and comments from the Secretariat. MAIN ISSUES DISCUSSED The discussion centred quickly on various aspects of globalization and the implications for fish trade and food security. It became clear that there exist varied interpretations of food security, depending on level of aggregation: local, national, international, regional and global. |
The lack of a clear definition of "trade barrier" with its various implications was also addressed by many. Certain topics stimulated more response than others. In particular, issues such as eco-labelling and HACCP, and the need for more market and product development were debated by many participants. The key arguments stated were the following:
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Cultured seabream being prepared for export from Greece (Photo by Audun Lem) |
RECOMMENDATIONS ARISING It was recommended that the FAO Advisory Committee on Fishery Research consider the possibility of investigating the effects of trade in fish products on those individual countries that are thought to be at risk of uncertain food supplies. It was recommended that FAO and other international, non-industry organizations attempt, within the resources available, to undertake more market research and stimulate further product development in low-cost fish products, including improvement of traditional production methods such as drying, smoking, curing and freezing. |
CONFERENCE MODALITIES Participants seemed satisfied with the format and operation of the conference, despite the limitations that it was conducted in English only, a fact that caused several comments. The e-mail conference format was regarded as a cost-effective way to reach a large, disperse and diverse group of persons with an interest in international fish trade and food security issues. The Secretariat requested suggestions for future activities related to the topic, and proposals were made for similar conferences on related topics. To reach more focused and profound discussions in each theme, suggestions were made to concentrate on one topic for each conference. |