Seafood Trade Advisory Group - transitioning to a new communications, governance and operating model
Investigate changes in acceptance of wild caught Barramundi in the foodservice and hospitality market sectors
Digital literacy for Queensland commercial fishers stage 1 - Improving business efficiencies
Developing primary school teacher kits for use by the Professional Fishers Association (NSW)
Seafood Trade Advisory Group - developing, implementing and communicating the Australian seafood industry trade agenda 2019-2021
Maximising the value of the NSW Longfin Eel catch through a whole of supply chain approach - Stage 1
Seafood Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) – NSW Food Service Industry Trial
There are a number of proposals to extend compulsory seafood Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL), as currently exists in retail, to food service businesses. A number of stakeholder meetings have been held nationally and by individual states, to consider the proposal. There is a compulsory system in the Northern Territory and the NSW Government has agreed to consider the proposal for a CoOL scheme for seafood as part of its Fisheries Reform Package.
The Restaurant & Catering Industry Association considers that a concerted informational and educative campaign to increase the take-up of CoOL amongst food service businesses in the hospitality sector will deliver sustained results.
Other stakeholders are not convinced that a voluntary system will work so have agreed to trial a campaign in NSW food service businesses during 2018 to evaluate the impact of such an initiative (intended and unintended). This project workshops the ToR of such a trial
Implementing and evaluating the Australian Seafood Trade Agenda 2016 - 2018 - Seafood Trade Advisory Group (STAG)
Australian seafood exporters still face a number of formal technical (e.g. SO2 in canned Abalone) and informal systemic barriers (e.g. deemed value) to trade which add cost and complexities which in the longer term could result in the opportunities created in the recent conclusion of a suite of FTAs with Asian markets not being fully realised.
The 2014 Seafood Exporters Forum (45 exporters participated) agreed to continue the STAG to continue to focus on key priorities for the most important markets (China, Hong Kong and Japan). Other sectors were invited to join the STAG provided they support the STAG activities with resources and communicate according to the agreed key messages (outlined in the STAG Trade Agenda).
Research on macro economic trends in important markets and potential FTA implementation issues that may impede capitalisation on the opportunities provided by those FTAs and are reflected in the agreed Seafood Trade Agenda priorities for 2016-2018 (attached). Having a unified voice on these priorities and addressing issues as they arise is the cornerstone of the success of the STAG to date.
The STAG needs to coordinate communication and extension of research as well as continue to prioritise research priorities to keep access to global markets. As a relatively new group the STAG needs to formalise partnership arrangements that includes more industry sectors, implement a governance structure and establish a more stable funding base, including the establishment of a secretariat with capacity to respond to issues and responsibility for implementing and reporting on the Trade Agenda.
This project will provide the co-contribution agreed for the PASE funded Seafood Asian Seafood Market Access Project. The funds from this project will be used to ensure that the outcomes of the PASE project are communicated and extended effectively to industry and that industry issues are communicated back to the project team. It will establish a new governance and reporting arrangement for the STAG and negotiate with the newly forming national peak body for it to assume the ongoing secretariat role for the STAG.
Report
1.Consultation with seafood exporters and industry associations to determine and agree on trade and market access priorities for inclusion in the Seafood Trade and Market Access Agenda andAction Plan 2016-2018 (see Appendix 2).
2.Maintaining government relationships and providing seafood input to the priority trade and market access negotiations
3.Communicating with stakeholders (industry, government and communities) about progress addressing the seafood industry trade and market access priorities.
4.Researching and monitoring market and consumer trends in key markets providing a market intelligence service to seafood exporters
5.Developing and maintaining relationships with key organisations (industry, research and government) in key markets to facilitate resolution of trade and market access issues and tomaintain existing market access.