Finnish Salmon Trout—Discriminated in the European Market

Abstract

The evolution of salmon trout farming in Finland provides an interesting example of how different trade policies can affect on the conditions of a small section of a primary industry in the global market. During the protectionist times in the 1980s, Finland became the world-leading producer of salmon trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (Saarni et al. 2003). During the global expansion of salmon aquaculture production and trade liberation, the Finnish fish farming industry faced fierce international competition. After Finland joined the European Union in 1995, the food industry was deregulated, and imported Norwegian salmon began to displace domestic salmon trout, in 1997, the import of salmon to the EU was restricted by the Salmon Agreement between the EU and Norway. At first, the minimum import price set for Norwegian salmon raised the import prices of salmon trout too, but it ultimately proved to be an even more serious problem for Finnish producers than that posed by free trade. After the world market price of salmonids dropped sharply in 2001, very inexpensive Norwegian salmon trout flooded the Finnish market, because salmon trout trade was not regulated in the agreement. The circumvention of the agreement led to an anti-dumping duty by the EU Commission in 2004.