Working and lobbying for the industry is an important part of what OFI does, which invariably means attending meetings and developing reports etc.  OFI works across the EU and actively participates in a range of working groups and various other forums within the EU Parliament. OFI has also worked with a number of government agencies in Asia to facilitate understanding of exporting requirements for the EU and other markets to help these countries comply with changes to regulations. 

The amount of this work is increasing as we face challenges to the industry on many fronts including animal welfare, invasive species, conservation and biodiversity, biosecurity and zoonsoes. These issues have the potential to impact the trade of live fish in terms of the species allowed to be kept in the trade, how we transport fish etc. Changes to the types of fish, how fish are transported and where they can be sourced from has the potential to significantly restrict the trade of live fish and/or increase the cost of fish traded. This in turn has the potential to impact other sectors of the aquarium trade including retailers and manufacturers/distributor of aquariums, fish foods, accessories etc. – if the trade of fish is restricted or reduced by changes to legislation then there is a reduced need for these items.