It is May 2026 and the landscape of the European fishing supply chain has officially changed with the entry into force of the central provisions of EU Regulation 2023/2842.
Today, anyone working in the fresh and deep-frozen fish sector –from catches to aquaculture to large-scale distribution– has the obligation to collect, transmit, and maintain traceability information exclusively in electronic format.
The time for extensions is over: it’s time to delve deeper into how vertical solutions, such as our Food365 integrated with MES and WMS software, can help you with traceability, avoiding sanctions and operational blocks.
Fish Traceability: What has changed since January 2026?
A lot has changed in early 2026. Catch declarations, transport documents and cargo information must now flow as digital data (XML, EDI or via APIs). This means that:
● For catch: Each landing must be digitally recorded with precise coordinates, fishing gear, and timeframes.
● For aquaculture: Life cycle and feeding data must be available immediately.
● For import: Certificate management via CATCH (the EU system against illegal fishing IUU) must be integrated directly with internal company data.
Please note: If you still manage CATCH certificates or transport documents today in a manner unrelated to your management, you are technically out of line and at risk of immediate sanction.
Why do you need an ERP that can be easily integrated with other software?
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning is the central node, or rather the brain, that receives and sorts complex data streams (so it already leads to better optimized workflow management).
Velika’s role as Food365
Food365 is the vertical solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that allows you to manage this mass of data in an automated way:
1. Automatically import supplier XML files and CATCH certificates, immediately associating them with the raw material batch.
2.Thanks to the MES, which you can integrate, each filleting, glazing, or packaging operation records the consumption of the original batches and generates the new batches of finished product, maintaining the “digital thread” without manual intervention.
3.The system natively supports GS1 (QR Code and Evolved Barcodes) standards, facilitating interoperability with business partners and GDO.
ERP + MES: What this integration allows you to do
If you then want to integrate the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) into the ERP Food365 you will be able to:
● Drastically reduce entry errors and secretarial times.
● Instantly demonstrate the lawfulness of the product, and consequently increase the trust of consumers and large buyers.
● Monitor waste and yields in real time to protect profitability.
ERP + MES + WMS: What this integration allows you to do
By combining ERP, MES, and WMS, your fishing company will have a single digital brain that connects: catch loading, production, warehouse, sales… with both operational and compliance benefits and competitiveness.
- Full traceability and in compliance with the new standards
● You have end‑to‑end traceability: from batch of fish raw material to batch of finished product to customer order, with deadlines, temperature, IUU/CATCH certificates and origin always linked to the same records.
● Integration allows you to respond quickly to alerts, withdrawals and official controls, reducing the time and risk of fines compared to manual labor or separate systems.
- Increased production and logistics efficiency
● MES records time, consumption, waste, and quality in real time; ERP updates costs, lots, and inventory; WMS manages locations, picking, and shipping: flow remains coordinated, and errors, such as incorrect lots or inconsistent inventory, are significantly reduced.
● Production and shipping planning becomes more precise and responsive, as availability, deadlines, and requirements are always up-to-date; this limits line downtime and keeps both surplus and inventory under control.
- Reduction of waste, costs and risks
● By monitoring fish raw material consumption, waste and machine downtime, MES + ERP allow you to optimize recipes, shifts and maintenance, with less waste and better yield.
● Integrated warehouse management (WMS) reduces losses due to deadlines, unsellable products, and unnecessary handling, typical in highly rotating industries such as fresh and frozen fish.
- Direct support for the new fish traceability rules 2026
● The ERP aggregates digital entry data (CATCH, catch declarations, batch codes), the MES links them to production outcomes, and the WMS associates them with locations and shipments: all in a single stream consistent with EU Regulation 2023/2842.
● You can provide structured reports (including via QR/label) for traceability to consumers, large-scale retailers, and authorities, turning the new regulation into a competitive advantage of transparency and trust.
Towards 2029
While today the focus is on fresh and frozen, the clock doesn’t stop. The EU Regulation has already set the course for the next step: January 2029.
By that date, the digital traceability requirement will be extended to:
● Seaweed and fish-based preparations.
● Preserves and processed fish products.
● Processed crustaceans, molluscs and other invertebrates.
Adopting a robust ERP like Food365 today means being ready for 2029, scaling the technology already present in the company without having to face new organizational traumas.
At Velika, we can help you on the digital transformation journey not only with simple software but also with 360° consulting, thanks to our background in the agri-food world and our SYS-DAT Group, an ICT reference player in Italy capable of verticalizing and customizing solutions to precisely meet your company’s needs.
Now it’s your turn! Don’t let digital bureaucracy stop your growth: turn the obligation into an opportunity for efficiency and contact us to understand how the solutions work and what improvements they bring to the company!
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