Fish farmers in Thailand are up in arms at the proposed FTA with EFTA members
Iceland
Published Mar 19, 2024
Tridge summary
The Federation of Thai Aquaculture's president, Bangjong Nisapawanich, has expressed concerns that the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) could harm local fish farmers. The FTA would eliminate the current 5% tax on fish imports from Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, potentially leading to an influx of foreign fish like salmon, mackerel, and cod in Thai markets. Bangjong calls for careful negotiation of the FTA to protect local businesses and livelihoods.
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Original content
The FTA with EFTA, which has four members namely Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, would allow tariff-free import of fish from these countries to Thailand, thus bypassing the current 5% tax. Bangjong Nisapawanich, president of the Federation of Thai Aquaculture, said the removal of import tax would result in an influx of foreign fish to Thai markets, affecting local farmers as has been seen with the FTAs with ASEAN members and China. “Furthermore, the current 5% tax is already low,” he said. “Without it, we would see the influx of foreign fish such as salmon, mackerel, and cod that would take market share from local fish farmers.” He added that the government has so far not provided any protection or compensation measures for these groups. Bangjong said he believed that keeping the 5% tax would not severely affect domestic consumers, as currently some of these foreign fish already retail for less than domestically raised fish, such ...
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