A BAN on the sale of Irish salmon in the US has been lifted it was confirmed this week.
All exports of Irish farmed salmon and common spiny lobster to the United States were banned as of January 1, 2026.
The ban followed a ruling made by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) due to a reported failure to meet regulatory standards.
Yesterday the publication of a new NOAA report “granted Ireland positive findings for all relevant fisheries – including salmonids nei and common spiny lobster”, which saw the ban lifted.
Ireland’s Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley welcomed the updated finding.
“Throughout the re-application process I have been in communication with representatives of the relevant export and aquaculture sectors, for whom this finding is critically important,” he said.
“While there are many challenges facing the seafood sector in 2026, Irish seafood remains prestigious and highly sought-after, and the United States is an important market in this regard,” he added.
“The fact that NOAA has found all of Ireland’s fisheries on the List of Foreign Fisheries to be comparable to U.S. standards is welcome.”
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said the findings, which are valid through to December 2029, will provide “Ireland’s producers and exporters the certainty needed for the export of prestigious species, including Irish salmon, to the United States”.
Ministers Heydon and Dooley further acknowledged the support of the Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC, and the department officials who “worked closely with the European Commission and with NOAA to resolve this issue at the earliest possible juncture”.
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