Norwegian salmon flooding EU Market, Danish industry raises concerns.
New tariff rules have increased Norway’s access to the EU market for smoked salmon, sparking criticism from Danish seafood leaders.
As of January 1, Norway has been granted an additional export quota of 2,500 tonnes of tariff-free smoked salmon under the compensation mechanism tied to the EEA agreement, bringing the total annual allowance to 5,250 tonnes.
Speaking to Danish publication, FoodWatch, Poul Melgaard Jensen, director of the Danish Seafood Association, described the situation as a “systematic distortion of the market,” pointing to Norway’s ability to process smoked salmon using cheaper raw materials under its “production fish” rules.
What exactly are production fish anyway? The controversial world of salmon grading
These regulations allow Norwegian producers to export fish with visible damage that has been corrected through processing, such as filleting, to remove imperfections.
Jensen argues that Danish producers face a competitive disadvantage as they must import higher-quality, more expensive Norwegian salmon while competing against tariff-free exports of cheaper processed products from Norway.
Danish industry representatives have called for reforms to Norway’s export rules, arguing that the current system is outdated and unfairly tilts the playing field in favor of Norwegian producers. The growing share of “prodfisk” in the market has added to the strain, compounding the challenges faced by Danish salmon processors.
