Aquafeed Study: valuable insights, but more recognition of European marine ingredients is needed

On 20 August, the European Commission published a study exploring how aquafeeds can support a competitive, resilient and sustainable European aquaculture sector. Covering regulation, raw material supply, sustainability, traceability and emerging feed ingredients, the study provides a valuable overview of the challenges and opportunities facing the aquafeed industry in Europe.

For EFFOP, the report contains several important findings. Most notably, it confirms that fishmeal and fish oil remain strategically important ingredients for aquaculture despite ongoing efforts to increase the use of plant-based and novel feed materials. Their exceptional nutritional value, digestibility, amino acid profile and unique contribution of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids continue to make them essential components of many aquafeeds, particularly for carnivorous species. Importantly, the report also acknowledges the practical and nutritional challenges associated with fully replacing marine ingredients.

The study further highlights the resilience and reliability of marine ingredient supply chains. According to stakeholder consultations, 41% of respondents considered the fishmeal supply chain reliable and secure, while 45% expressed the same view for fish oil. By comparison, algae oil and insect oil were perceived as having the lowest levels of supply chain reliability, underlining the continued maturity and robustness of fishmeal and fish oil supply chains relative to many emerging alternatives.

The report also provides useful insights into Europe’s level of self-sufficiency:

• The EU’s fishmeal self-sufficiency rate reached 77% in 2023, with imports accounting for approximately 23% of apparent consumption.
• Fish oil self-sufficiency was estimated at 78%.
• The main fishmeal suppliers to the EU in 2024 were Morocco (30% of imports), South Africa (15%), Norway (14%), Chile (9%) and the Faroe Islands (7%), while Peru’s share declined significantly compared with previous years.

The importance of distinguishing European and non-European production

The study’s sustainability chapter raises a number of questions relating to fishmeal and fish oil supply chains globally, including impacts on marine biodiversity, labour conditions, food security and traceability. However, many of the examples cited in this section originate from specific regions in Africa and South America, where regulatory frameworks, fisheries management systems and supply chain governance may differ significantly from those found in Europe.

These discussions are legitimate but the report’s treatment of these issues highlights a significant weakness in the overall analysis.

Throughout much of the sustainability chapter, challenges identified in specific regions are presented as applying broadly to the fishmeal and fish oil sector, with no distinction between European and non-European production systems. This approach is difficult to reconcile with one of the report’s own central findings: approximately 77% of EU fishmeal demand, and around three-quarters of fish oil demand, are supplied by European production.

In practice, European marine ingredients are produced within one of the world’s most highly regulated fisheries and food production environments. Fisheries are managed through science-based quota systems, precautionary harvest strategies, extensive monitoring and control measures, and increasingly ecosystem-based management approaches. Moreover, a growing share of European fishmeal and fish oil is produced from trimmings and co-products generated by the seafood processing sector, further strengthening the circularity credentials of the industry. Despite these characteristics, the report devotes comparatively limited attention to the specific sustainability performance of European production systems. Instead, concerns associated with global supply chains often become the dominant narrative, without sufficient consideration of the fact that the vast majority of fishmeal and fish oil used in Europe originates from European supply chains.

As a result, readers may be left with the impression that sustainability challenges identified in particular regions are representative of the entire sector. Such a conclusion would overlook the substantial differences that exist between sourcing regions in terms of fisheries governance, traceability, environmental controls and social standards.

Promoting European supplies

This is particularly disappointing given the fact that relatively limited information exists on the structure of fishmeal and fish oil production and trade at European level. More attention to the European production landscape, including the location of production facilities, raw material sourcing patterns, the growing use of fish processing co-products and ownership structures, would have provided a more balanced and evidence-based assessment of the sector.

Such an approach would not diminish the importance of addressing sustainability challenges where they exist. Rather, it would ensure that policy discussions are informed by an accurate understanding of the diversity of production models within the global marine ingredients sector. Greater recognition of the characteristics of European fishmeal and fish oil production would have resulted in a more balanced assessment of the sector and a more accurate reflection of what “Made in Europe” marine ingredients represent today.

For a European industry that supplies the majority of the EU market and operates under some of the world’s most demanding regulatory standards, this distinction is essential.