SCRC: COMMUNAL PROJECT: Seafood CRC Participation in the Seafood Access Forum (SAF)
The CRC has identified the need to prioritise trade and market access research activities and to have a forum where government and industry can agree on apropriate trade and market access negotiation strategies. The SAF operated by SSA can provide that service for the CRC.
The CRC recognises that having a focus on trade and market access research activities will significantly increase the workload for the SAF and that this will create a need for additional consultation, reporting and extension activities. The CRC has agreed to fund SSA to proivde this addtional functionality that will benefit all users of the CRC (Sellfish Theme Business Plan).
Meetings with senior DFAT and DAFF officials confirmed that the seafood industry needs to take a more coordinated approach to addressing trade issues and that primary industries with such frameworks had achieved significant success. The CRC needs to ensure that such a framework exists so that the benefitsof its trade and market access research can be realised.
The SAF provides a solid, rigorous and inclusive process for systematically tackling our seafood trade and market access barriers by:
1. Identifying and prioritising opportunities for improving trade and market access for Australian seafood including:
a. Maintaining and improving access in existing markets;
b. Establishing access to new trade opportunities, particularly in higher value markets; and
c. The reduction or removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to seafood trade.
2. Developing well researched positions and strategies on priority opportunities for improving trade and market access for Australian seafood.
3. Providing leadership and coordination in the delivery of actions to realise priority opportunities for improved trade and market access for Australian seafood.
Final report
The goal of the Seafood CRC is to double the value of the Australian seafood industry to $4billion per annum by 2017 and to generate more than 2,800 jobs in rural and regional areas. Achieving this goal will require a concerted effort by the Seafood CRC, its core participants and collaborators over the life of the program - this includes SSA, NAC and SEA. In its favour, the Seafood CRC represents almost 80 percent of the Australian seafood industry's GVP of just over $2 billion per annum. This is enhanced further with the high level of scientific institution and through chain representation its investment strategy has attracted.
The Seafood CRC represents the first time in the history of the Australian seafood industry that such a high level cooperative partnership has been achieved for the purpose of advancing the industry's future prosperity. The Seafood CRC, brings together the critical combination of scientific expertise and industry knowledge with the capacity to address the full breadth of trade and market access issues that have previously constrained the industry from meeting its full market potential.
SCRC: Seafood CRC: Develop, conduct and analyse a small survey of seafood buyers at ESE 2008 to help assess the relative importance of key attributes of Australian seafood in influencing purchasing decisions.
SSA: The Next Generation (2007-2012)
There is a pressing national need to provide industry with services that complement and enhance those provided by peak sectoral bodies. The number and complexity of issues affecting global seafood trade will continue to increase along with the need for more rapid responses. Individual businesses and peak bodies cannot follow development in all of these areas: SSA can.
By focusing on industry development priorities and the adoption of R&D results, SSA can assist the FRDC to meet its 5 year targets and help to meet the expectations of the Australian government (see the National and Rural Research and Development Priorities and the response to the Corish Report).
FRDC investment is required to capitalize and build on SSA’s achievements and to continue to assist industry meet the challenges of sustaining seafood business profitability.
1. The need for stable supply of seafood – Australian seafood producers meet about 40 per cent of domestic demand at present, but if the status quo continues they are predicted to supply less than 25 per cent by 2020. Reducing business costs and increasing production efficiency will help close the supply/demand gap.
2. The need to sustain profitable markets – having the capacity to quickly respond to market signals and expand customer base by increasing demand for product in a broader range of markets.
3. The need to cost effectively deliver quality products to markets – collective approaches to product quality will underpin investment in branding and promotion and improve the capacity of the industry to consistently meet the expectations of premium price markets.
4. The need for access to timely and relevant expertise and knowledge – to be globally competitive Australia’s seafood businesses need access to and the capacity to use the best up to date knowledge and technology to achieve their business objectives.