GLOBEFISH RESEARCH PROGRAMME Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Products, Trade and Marketing Service The European market for Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome, Italy mussels Tel.: +39 06 5705 4744 Fax: +39 06 5705 3020 www.globefish.org Volume 115 GRP115coverB5.indd 1 02/04/2014 11:28:58 The European market for mussels by Marie-Christine Monfort (April, 2014) The GLOBEFISH Research Programme is an activity initiated by FAO's Products, Trade and Marketing Branch, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Economics Division, Rome, Italy and financed jointly by: - NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service), Washington, DC, USA - Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, Subdirección General de Economía Pesquera, Madrid, Spain - Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Copenhagen, Denmark - European Commission, Directorate General for Fisheries, Brussels, EU - Norwegian Seafood Council, Tromsoe, Norway - FranceAgriMer, Montreuil-sous-Bois, Cedex, France - ASMI (Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute), USA - Sea Fish Industry Authority, Great Britain Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, GLOBEFISH, Products, Trade and Marketing Branch, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Economics Division Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy - Tel: (39) 06570 54744 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] - Fax: (39) 06570 53020 - www.globefish.org The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO. Marie-Christine MONFORT, GLOBEFISH consultant. THE EUROPEAN MARKET FOR MUSSELS. GLOBEFISH Research Programme, Vol. 115. Rome, FAO 2014. 65p. The European market for mussels is estimated to be slightly below 600 000 tonnes in equivalent live animal weight, of which 500 000 tonnes is of domestic origin and about 100 000 tonnes of international origin (net balance import-export). The producing countries are not necessarily those that consume mussels and considerable internal trade is recorded. In 2012, around 160 000 tonnes were traded between European Union countries, of which 140 000 tonnes were live fresh produce. In some countries consumption per capita is over 3 kg per year, while in others mussels have not become part of the local diet. Based on the assumption that consumption could be increased by between 200 and 500 g more per capita per annum, this opens up the market for an additional 190 000 tonnes. Assuming that one employee equates to the production of 20 tonnes of mussels, increasing consumption could provide for 9 500 new jobs. Layout: Yvonne Davidsson and Gloria Loriente Cover page layout: Gloria Loriente Cover photograph: Courtesy of ©CNC All rights reserved. FAO encourages the reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Non-commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate FAO copyright materials, and all queries concerning rights and licences, should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] or to the Chief, Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. © FAO 2014 ii TABLE OF CONTENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. THE SUPPLY SITUATION 2 1.1. EUROPEAN PRODUCTION OF MUSSELS 2 1.1.1. Spain 4 1.1.2. France 7 1.1.3. The United Kingdom 8 1.1.4. Italy 10 1.1.5. Ireland 12 1.1.6. Denmark 12 1.1.7. The Netherlands 13 1.1.8. Greece 13 1.2. MAJOR NON-EU SUPPLIERS 14 1.2.1. Norway 14 1.2.2. Chile 15 1.2.3. New Zealand 15 1.2.4. Turkey 17 2. TRADE OF MUSSELS 20 3. MARKETS AND DEMAND 21 3.1. MAJOR CONSUMING COUNTRIES 21 3.2. SPAIN 22 3.3. FRANCE 24 3.4. ITALY 29 3.5. THE UNITED KINGDOM 31 3.6. BELGIUM 32 4. ADDING VALUE TO MUSSELS/ MARKETING PROGRAMMES 33 4.1. MUSSEL PROCESSING 33 4.2. THE NETHERLANDS: A MAJOR MUSSEL PROCESSING COUNTRY 34 4.3. DESCRIPTION OF MUSSEL PROCESSING STEPS 35 4.4. LABELLING 36 5. THE MUSSEL MARKET IN THE FUTURE 43 5.1. CONSTRAINTS AND THREATS 43 5.2. OPPORTUNITIES 46 5.2.1. MUSSELS: AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FOOD 46 6. MUSSELS: A SPECIES WITH HIGH POTENTIAL 48 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY 49 8. WEB SITES VISITED 50 iii ANNEX 1 Production of mussels by country, aquaculture and fisheries (tonnes) 51 ANNEX 2 Live shell regulation 52 ANNEX 3 External trade, nomenclature 53 ANNEX 4 Trade data 54 ANNEX 5 Apparent consumption 58 ANNEX 6 Wholesale market prices in Italy (2013, EUR/kg) 59 ANNEX 7 Protected designation of origin “Mejillón de Galicia”, abstract of the Council Regulation 60 ANNEX 8 Protected Designation of Origin "Moules de Bouchot de la Baie du Mont St Michel": abstract of the Council Regulation 62 ANNEX 9 Traditional specialities Guaranteed (Moules de bouchot (TSG): Abstract of the Council regulation 64 FIGURES 1. Europe production of mussels 2 2. Production of mussels by volume and by country (2011) 3 3. Europe production in tonnes by species 3 4. Live mussels ex-farmed, prices in EUR/kg (2004–2012) 5 5. Consumption kg per inhabitant 21 6. Consumption per country 22 7. Live mussels, householders’ purchases (by period) 25 8. The outstanding success of pre-packed mussels 26 9. Monthly retail prices (2007–2011) 27 10. Mussels sales by outlets (estimates in volume, 2010) 28 11. Domestic purchases: percent distribution of mussels’ purchases in the main sale channels (in volume) 29 12. Highly seasonal Belgium imports of fresh and live mussels from the Netherlands (tonnes) 32 13. Mussel chain of value 35 14. Some of the collective brands and quality labels on mussels 41 iv TABLES 1. Production of mussels (tonnes) – Spain 4 2. Ex-farm mussel prices in Galicia (2004–2012) 5 3. France: production of mussels by species and production mode (tonnes) 8 4. UK: production of mussels by species and production mode (tonnes) 8 5. Italy: production of mussels by production mode (tonnes) 10 6. Italy: import of live, fresh or frozen mussels in 2012 per country of origin 11 7. Mussel production by region 11 8. Ireland: production of farmed mussels (tonnes) 12 9. Denmark: production of mussels by species and production mode (tonnes) 13 10. The Netherlands: production of farmed mussels (tonnes) 13 11. The Netherlands: imports of live, fresh mussels M. edulis (tonnes) 13 12. Norway: production of farmed mussels (tonnes) 15 13. Chile: production of farmed mussels (tonnes) 15 14. New Zealand: production of farmed mussels (tonnes) 16 15. European imports of mussels from New Zealand (million EUR) 16 16. EU imports of mussels other than live and preserved from New Zealand 16 (tonnes) 17. New Zealand Greenshell™ mussel exports 2011 (major products) 17 18. Wild mussel production of Turkey (tonnes) 17 19. Farmed mussel production in Turkey (tonnes) 17 20. Turkey trade of mussels – Mytilus sp. (tonnes) 18 21. Attributes associated with key supply regions 19 22. EU 27 imports of mussels in all forms (tonnes) 20 23. EU 27 imports of mussels in all forms (million EUR) 20 24. EU trade of live and fresh mussels, 2012 (tonnes) 20 25. Estimates of the consumption per major national markets 21 26. Dramatic variations in consumption 22 27. Live mussels – sources of supplies (2012) 24 28. Periods of high availability of mussels in Europe (by season) 25 29. Indicative retail prices on the French market for live M. edulis (2012) 27 30. Indicative prices paid to producers (2012) 27 31. Mussel consumers profile in Italy 30 32. How mussels are eaten 33 33. How mussels are traded 33 34. The Netherlands: exports of live chilled mussels (tonnes/annum 2007–2012) 34 35. The Netherlands: exports of live chilled mussels (EUR/kg 2007–2012) 34 36. The Netherlands: imports of chilled and live mussels (million EUR) 35 37. Fresh and live mussels average prices to/from the Netherlands 35 38. Seafood labels and brands 36 39. List of mussel fisheries MSC certified (March 2013) 39 40. List of mussel fisheries Friend of the Sea certified (March 2013) 39 v TERMS USED IN THE REPORT EU 27: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Intra-EU refers to all transactions occurring within the European Union. Extra-EU refers to transactions with all countries outside of the European Union: the rest of the world except for the EU as it is now, consisting of 27 Member States. Byssus: strong filaments by which mussels attach themselves to rocks, to other fixed surfaces and to each other. De-bearded: taking the byssus or the filament off the shell, from the live animal. vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The European market for mussels is estimated to be slightly below 600 000 tonnes in equivalent live animal weight, of which 500 000 tonnes is of domestic origin and about 100 000 tonnes of international origin (net balance import-export).