Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - The EU fish processing sector. Economic Report (STECF-19-15)

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. This report contains the 2019 economic report of the EU fish processing sector, covers the period 2008 to 2017 and includes information on the EU fish processing industries in terms of number of enterprises, employment, income and costs. The profitability and performance of the sector is also reported in terms of gross value added, profits, profit margins and labour productivity. In 2017 the sector was made up of about 3,500 firms, provided about 130,000 jobs and produced a turnover of €32 billion. The first time, because of new variables collected under EUMAP, the analysis of the socio-demographic aspects of the labour forces employed by the sector is provided, in terms of gender, age, nationality and educational aspects. The report provides an in-depth look of the different factors affecting the economic performance of the EU fish processing industry with a special focus on the major drivers and issues affecting the sector. Following a specific request, the report provides an assessment of the sources of raw material (e.g. internal catches, internal aquaculture, imports) detailing potential specificities by species, type of industry and Member State and provide suggestions for the improvement of the future data collection. The report also provides a first insight on the potential impact of the Autonomous Tariff Quotas (ATQs).