BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union warned Thailand on Friday that it should “promptly” address the human rights and slavery issues that have dogged its seafood industry if it wants to stave off an EU seafood import ban.
Several investigative reports by The Associated Press focused on slavery in the seafood industry and resulted in the rescue of 2,000 men this year, highlighting longstanding abuses in Thai fisheries.
Thailand is a major exporter of seafood, with yearly revenues of almost 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion), and an EU ban would seriously affect the industry.
EU Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella said even though the 28-nation bloc was primarily assessing Thailand’s improvements in stamping out illegal fishing, there was no sidestepping the slavery issue.
Thailand, the world’s third-largest seafood exporter, was given a warning by the EU in April to improve its fisheries practices or face an export ban to the wealthy European bloc. Annual Thai fish exports to the EU are estimated to be worth between 575 million and 730 million euros ($624 million to $792 million).