Reminder on Cod Grading Protocols

Last year, your Union made several improvements to the cod contract with buyers that ensures harvester quality is upheld. We’d like to take a moment to remind harvesters of the strict protocol buyers and processors must follow to protect the value of your landings. If requirements are not met, penalties exist for buyers/processors.

• A Fresh Raw Material Traceability Form for Cod shall accompany all landings of cod sold to a buyer by a harvester. A processer who purchases cod from a buyer without the traceability form must pay the grade “A” price to the harvester for that entire load of cod.
• Buyers and processors have a defined procedure for handling, transferring, and transporting cod landed at the wharf. If the protocol for icing (Slush Ice or dry ice) is not followed and the quality of the fish delivered to the processer is less than 80% grade “A” then the buyer must pay the harvester on the basis that the entire load of cod is grade “A”.
• All fish must be delivered to a processor’s plant within 24 hours. If not, and fish is graded as less than 80% grade “A”, the payment to the harvester will be calculated at the appropriate grade plus $0.20 per pound, but does not have to exceed the grade “A” price.
• If the amount of cod delivered past the 24 hour period is less than 1000 lbs, the harvester must receive the grade “A” price as set by this schedule for the entire shipment.
• The detailed grading sheets for individual landings shall be made available to harvesters by either the processor or buyer, as may be applicable, within forty-eight (48) hours of the buyer and/or processer taking possession of the fish. Failure to do so will incur a $0.05 lb additional payment to the harvester by the buyer/processer for the entire amount of the shipment in question.

Click here for the full agreement.