We are starving Africa with the production of fishmeal, animal feed in Europe

    We are starving Africa with the production of fishmeal, animal feed in Europe

    According to a Greenpeace report, the production of fishmeal and oil for European feed is starving the African population

    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    You have probably never heard of fishmeal. It is a product that is made in some African countries, such as Senegal, and is then exported outside the continent to become feed for livestock and farmed fish. However, this practice is completely unsustainable and risks starving millions of people in Africa.





    Tons of small fish, caught in some parts of Africa, are systematically used to produce fishmeal and fish oil for export (especially to the European Union), a market that has increased dramatically in recent years. The problem is that this has serious repercussions on the local population.

    To confirm this is a report produced by Changing Markets and Greenpeace Africa which points out how those tons of fish would be much more useful to feed the families of Senegal, Gambia, Mauritiania and other countries bordering the sea but not only, given that dried fish is an important source of protein even for those who live in other parts of Africa.

    In practice, as the report points out, which has a very explanatory title: “Feeding a monster. As European aquaculture and the animal feed industry steal food from communities in West Africa, ”this trade starves Africa and stopping it could help feed 33 million people!

    The numbers are actually scary. As the report points out, the production of fish meal and oil (FMFO) has increased by 20 times in the last 13 years, from 13 thousand tons in 2010 to 170 thousand tons in 2019 and this has had "devastating consequences" for the ecosystem and local populations.

    Every year, 500 thousand tons of small fish are transformed into feed and partly also to be used in cosmetics and in the production of supplements. 

    A very serious situation, as reported by Ibrahimé Cissé, of Greenpeace Africa:

    Depriving millions of West African people of the most basic source of protein to feed animals or produce food supplements, cosmetics and pet products is outrageous and a blatant disregard for local and international laws. Fish fit for human consumption must never again be stolen from West African communities to meet the needs of other countries. Our governments need to act quickly to put an end to this.



    Furthermore, to be negatively affected from this reckless production are above all women, as the report denounces:

    who traditionally produce smoked, salted and dried fish which they sell at the local market.

    The report was based on data on fishmeal and fish oil trade and on the supply chain between the manufacturing industry in West Africa and the European market which includes traders and companies from different countries. In France (Olvea), Norway (GC Rieber, EWOS / Cargill, Skretting, Mowi), Denmark (ED&F Man Terminals, TripleNine, FF Skagen, Pelagia and BioMar), Germany (Köster Marine Proteins), Spain (Inproquisa, Industrias Arpo, Skretting Espana) and Greece (Norsildmel Innovation AS). 

    It also includes the supply chain relationships between fish product processors / distributors and farmed fish producers who in recent years have sourced from West African companies and well-known French retailers (Carrefour, Auchan, E.Leclerc, Système U, Monoprix, Groupe Casino), Germans (Aldi Süd, Lidl, Kaufland, Rewe, Metro AG, Edeka.), Spanish (Lidl Espana) and the United Kingdom (Tesco, Lidl, Aldi).  

    On this, however, Greenpeace specifies that:

    While we are unable to establish a direct chain of custody between retailers and West African FMFOs, Changing Markets has reported - through publicly accessible sources, store visits, interviews and surveys - the supply chain relationships among the aforementioned retailers. in the report and fish product processors / distributors and farmed fish producers who in recent years have sourced from companies involved in the West African FMFO trade. 

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    Fonte:  GreenPeace Africa

    Read also:

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