Scotland's £1 billion fishing and seafood sector will need to
adapt to new EU changes in the information and data they submit
to enable their exports to flow smoothly from the UK.
In Scotland the fish and seafood sector remains a cornerstone of
the national economy and lifeline for many coastal and island
communities. With seafood exports, accounting for 70% of
Scotland's total seafood industry, the Marine Management
Organisation (MMO) is working with the Scottish government and
urging Scottish businesses to act now to prepare for new EU
import rules around traceability coming into force on 10 January
2026.
The upcoming changes will affect every link in the supply chain,
from fishers and merchants to processors and exporters All UK
devolved administrations are working in partnership and have
launched the new #FishTraceShip campaign to help industry
prepare.
, Operational Lead (onshore),
Marine Directorate, Scottish Government, said:
Scotland's seafood sector supports thousands of jobs and
communities across our coasts. These new requirements, introduced
by the EU, represent a significant change for businesses.
We're urging Scottish processors and exporters to act now,
understanding the new EU rules and using our support tools will
be key to meeting the new requirements. The Fish, Trace, Ship
campaign is here to help the industry meet these obligations and
maintain Scotland's reputation for quality and traceability.
UK Government is updating the Fish Export Service (FES) to ensure
the IT system can provide the catch certificates, processing
statements and non-manipulation documents required by the EU from
10 January 2026, providing each sector in the supply chain
delivers the correct information on time.
The changes mean that processing statements must be provided for
all:
The definition of processing has been expanded to mean any
seafood that has been cut, filleted, canned, smoked, salted,
cooked, pickled, dried, or otherwise prepared for market. Fish
which has only been frozen and/or packed will not require a
processing statement.
Processing statements will also need to show the weights of each
type of seafood that has contributed to each processed
product.
Nick Greenwood, MMO's Head of Marine Protection and
Operations Services, said:
Scotland's seafood industry plays a vital role in both the UK and
Scottish economy and the livelihoods of thousands of people in
coastal communities. These changes will affect many businesses
that haven't previously needed to supply processing
statements.
We're urging Scottish processors and exporters to act now,
understanding the new requirements and engaging with our support
tools will be key to a smooth transition.
Our message is that you need to make sure you know whether this
affects your business right now and take action if it does.
The UK Government has already launched the first in a series of
webinars and engagement events to support the UK seafood industry
to prepare for significant changes to EU import requirements
early next year The next sessions will be on December 10 and 17
and anyone impacted by the changes can register to
attend.
To stay up to date with the new changes, sign up for
our Fish, Trace, Ship newsletter .
