Brazil recently granted land approval to the Faroe Islands with the intention of soon allowing imports of the self-governing nation’s aquaculture and fishery products, marking the culmination of multiple years of trade talks between the two parties.
"This could be of great importance. This is a giant market for export, and they have been requesting high-quality Faroese products," Sirið Stenberg, the Faroe Islands minister of social affairs and culture, said in an interview with Faroese radio.
Among other products, a future deal would likely be beneficial for producers of Faroese bacalao, or salted cod, who currently export most of their products to Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Brazil has a strong tradition of eating salted cod, especially around holidays such as Christmas, New Year's, and Easter. Faroese producers originally exported bacalao to Brazil from the end of World War II until the 1970s; however, prices soon plummeted, and the Faroese sought European markets to fetch higher prices.
Jógvan Hansen, the sales and operations director of Faroese fishing firm JFK, said that there is also an appetite for Faroese fishery products besides bacalao in Brazil, as Norwegian companies already export Faroese fish to the Brazilian market after undergoing processing in Norway.
"Norway exports lots of cusk and cod to Brazil, and now, we will be able to produce the same products," Hansen said in a Faroese radio interview. "We know that Norwegian producers import Faroese cusk and export it to Brazil, so there should be a market for our fish.”
Stenberg similarly said that while the talks mainly focused on the export of Faroese cod, a deal would also allow for other products such as farmed salmon. This would align with the growth goals of Faroese salmon-farming firms such as Bakkafrost.
According to Faroese authorities, exports to Brazil will probably start in the fall. The foreign ministry and members of the Faroese seafood industry are then aiming to take a business trip to Brazil in spring 2026, where they hope to market their products in the South American country.
