While the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label can be a route to market’ for Irish seafood producers, the food sector is better served by its own dedicated brand, speakers argued at BIM’s conference in Dublin last Wednesday.
During a panel discussion on sustainability, the head of the Federation of Irish Fishermen, Francis O’Donnell, said producers need to see better prices paid to make up the cost of the more sustainable practices.
While MSC certification acts as a route to market, Irish producers must not rely on it, and are better served by their own standards and brand, he said.
Consumer goods consultant Jonathan Banks warned that he could not see consumers paying more for sustainable seafood; while most say they would, in reality price and value remain higher on their lists of priorities, he said.
MSC could be said to reward the low-hanging fruit’ of the industry, said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), who questioned how much certification actually changed practices at the ground level.
Fisheries stakeholders working together with the scientists to see how money can be made, and continue to be made in the long-term; that’s how the positive changes happen, he said.
Ireland does have its own label and marketing campaign in the shape of Origin Green, run by the Irish Food Board, Bord Bia. Aidan Cotter of Bord Bia told the panel to think of sustainability not in terms of getting a price premium, but of winning market preference.
Several of the country’s largest food producers, including dairy firm Kerry and Marine Harvest, have backed Origin Green.
Ireland also has a Responsible Irish Fish’ label, designed to encourage consumer to buy locally- sourced seafood. This has apparently been successful, with retailers willing to pay a higher price in order to stock the products which have been landed and processed within the country.
The sustainability panel at the conference echoed what had been said earlier by Magnus Bjarnason of Icelandic Group; if Ireland can demonstrate the quality of its value adding through Irish processors then it can attract more vessels to land there, and perhaps counteract the problem of there being no more quota to go around.