It is with great enthusiasm that we announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RD Corporation, one of the larger players in the global tuna market. Philippine-based RD Corporation, a vertically integrated fishing and processing group, has now committed to catching MSC certified free-school skipjack and yellowfin tuna and to creating more jobs and income for PNA island people, by further increasing its processing within PNG. This deal is of major importance not just for PACIFICAL, the PNA and our people of the Pacific, but for the entire tuna market.
With an annual purse seine tuna catch of around 90,000 tons, RD Corporation is a major player in the global tuna market; the main canner in PNG with its RD Tuna plant in Madang, and its Philbest operation in General Santos, Philippines. Both origins have the possibility for zero percent import duty when product is imported into the EU.
“This new cooperation is a major step forward in making truly sustainably-caught canned tuna more widely available in the EU market, and hopefully also in the US,” says Pacifical CEO Henk Brus.
The signing of this MoU, is expected to result, in 2018, in over one thousand containers of MSC-certified canned and pouched tuna from PNG and the Philippines making its way to EU based importers, retailers, food service companies and food processors.
Taking into consideration the recent decision by our Board of Directors to reduce our service fee to 2%, along with the zero duty possibility, this agreement will most likely make MSC tuna available at more competitive prices within the EU market, making it more attractive to a wider group of buyers, and thus a further growing contribution to true sustainability of our pristine ocean eco-system.
UPDATE: Recertification Process Of Our MSC Free-School Tuna Fishery
The CAB (Certification Assessment Body) recently delivered its final report on the reassessment of our MSC free-school skipjack and yellowfin fishery, and recommended the PNA for recertification based on the high scores received. However, we have been informed by the MSC that there has been an objection against our recertification, submitted by the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF). This objection is currently being addressed by the Independent Adjudicator (IA).
After studying the objection, we find that most of the points being raised by the IPNLF, are not directly related to the sustainability of our free-school fishery but mostly towards MSC policies and standards in general. At PACIFICAL we are confident that our PNA skipjack and yellowfin fishery will be recertified as being sustainable, and the fact that our efforts and initiatives continue to bring real positive change to tuna stocks and the entire PNA ocean ecosystem.
It is of public knowledge that MSC procedures are open to the stakeholders views and opinions, allowing everyone to have a say. This process only strengthens our confidence in the world’s most trusted sustainability standard; and we believe this is the best way a sustainability accreditation can be critically and deeply evaluated against latest available science and findings. The adjudicator has now invited those stakeholders already involved in the process to comment on the published IPNLF objection.
Pending this adjudication process our current MSC certificate, which would have expired on Oct 15th 2017, will now be extended for another 6 months, assuring continuity in our entire supply chain.
We trust we’ll be sharing some other positive news with you soon. In the meantime, please do not hesitate in getting in touch with us at info@pacifical.com, or with your contact person at Pacifical, if you have any questions or want to know more about the right tuna for you!