With news that the EU is calling into question Norway’s trade rules over so-called “production fish”, we thought it might be useful to shed some light on the ongoing controversy, starting with the salmon industry’s term “prodfisk” itself.
Production fish are subject to an export ban within Norway, whose laws prohibit damaged salmon from being exported whole. The fish must first be processed within Norway’s borders to eliminate the damaged parts before the resulting salmon products can be transported outside the country.
According to Norway's Food Safety Authority Mattilsynet, the share of production fish has steadily increased from 5% in 2018 to 15% in 2023 - but this winter season has shown the industry's worst results, with the proportion of prodfisk soaring to over 36% some weeks this year.