Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and France are four of the most appealing destinations for shrimp products in Northwest Europe. Except for the French market, the majority of shrimp traded in these markets are peeled headless Vannamei (Whiteleg) shrimp. According to statistics, Vannamei shrimp account for approximately 60% of the shrimp supply to the entire region, with the proportion of Vannamei shrimp at wholesale channels accounting for 75-80%. The remaining shrimps are Black tiger shrimp and natural shrimp. Last year, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands imported 260,000 tons of HLSO and peeled shrimp.
The Netherlands is currently the center of shrimp import and processing for Europe. In 2022, the country imported 93,124 tons of shrimp, exported 67,858 tons and kept approximately 25,000 tons for domestic consumption. Of which, frozen shrimp exports accounted for 35,000 tons, with the remainder being value-added products.
Germany, unlike the Netherlands, imports shrimp for domestic consumption rather than processing and re-exporting. Germany is the largest consumer of peeled headless Vannamei shrimp in Europe. Additionally, Germany imports frozen Black tiger shrimp and value-added shrimp from Vietnam. Germany directly imported 5,900 tons of cooked shrimp from Vietnam last year.
Most supermarkets in Northwest Europe sell Vannamei shrimp as frozen and fresh. Unlike Southern Europe where peeled shrimp is sold in large quantities, peeled headless shrimp is offered in tiny trays of 100-200g in Northwest Europe. Whiteleg shrimp dominates the shrimp market in Northwest Europe, along with a small proportion of cold-water shrimp. It is worth noting that natural shrimp is mainly MSC certified, while farmed shrimp is ASC certified. In addition, organic shrimp shelves are available in retail outlets and most are being sold as deveined shrimp.
The EU is the fourth largest shrimp import market of Vietnam, accounting for 13.4%. In the first four months of 2023, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached 119 million USD.
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