The UK seafood industry has seen a major win today after Vietnam granted market access for British live seafood products, opening new opportunities for growth and trade.
The agreement will bring in an estimated £20m worth of exports of live seafood from the UK to Vietnam – who are among the highest consumers of seafood per capita and the highest in south east Asia – over the next five years, according to the Shellfish Association of Great Britain.
Products like British lobster and brown crab will now be able to make their way to the Asian nation in their “preferred live form”, Defra said, helping “coastal communities across all four nations to benefit from new export opportunities”.
British seafood exports to Vietnam have already shown strong growth in recent months, with fresh, frozen, and processed products seeing a 40% increase in the first nine months of 2024 compared with 2023.
David Jarrad, CEO of Shellfish Association of Great Britain, said: “We have been delighted to engage with government officials in the UK and Vietnam and help achieve this export agreement.
“The opening of another market for our sector is great news for the industry and demonstrates the strong worldwide demand for the UKs quality live shellfish.”
Vietnamese importers are willing to pay competitive prices for British seafood varieties that have less demand in UK and European markets, according to the industry, providing an important alternative revenue stream for dozens of seafood traders.
This is also a welcoming victory for British food and drink exporters, who have seen their sales slump since Brexit.
Fish sellers in particular, who counted Europe as a major market pre-Brexit, have been hit by costly new bureaucratic burdens, which have in turn affected their ability to sell abroad.
Minister for food and rural affairs Daniel Zeichner said this was “a tremendous win for our seafood industry”.
“By securing access to Vietnam’s thriving live seafood market, we’re opening new opportunities for British businesses while supporting jobs across the UK as part of our Plan for Change,” he said.
“Our high-quality seafood is increasingly sought after worldwide, and this agreement demonstrates our commitment to get British exports moving by helping producers reach valuable international markets.”
And minister for exports Gareth Thomas, who has been leading the charge on many of Labour’s recent trade agreements, added: “This is a welcome and significant breakthrough, opening up a new and lucrative market to live seafood exporters across the UK.
“We know that when businesses export the whole economy benefits. That is why this government will continue to support businesses by removing trade barriers to enable them to take advantage of export opportunities abroad to grow the economy at home.”
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