Insider warning – digital sales sites will decimate European tackle industry

One of Europe’s top suppliers of tackle has warned that digital sites operated by the likes of Temu and Ali Express represent a structural threat to the fishing tackle industry and will lead to the closure of thousands of European businesses.

MD of Hungary-based Energofish, Istvan Pal (below left with Angling International owner Rob Carter), said that sites like those operated by the likes of Temu have fundamentally disrupted the traditional structure of the industry. They have done it by flooding the market with large volumes of uncontrolled products that are entering without any meaningful quality or safety checks.

Pal told Angling International: “In fishing tackle, poor quality does not only effect performance, it damages trust in the sport and can also impact fish welfare, environment protection and user safety.

“There is also the long-term risk that if anglers repeatedly have negative experiences due to low quality products, it damages trust in the sport itself and in professional brands the have invested heavily in innovation and reliability.”

Pal believes that that current situation has dire consequences for the industry. “It will inevitably lead to the closure of thousands of European businesses and will weaken Europe’s industrial and commercial base.

“It is an illusion that consumers will ultimately benefit. The environmental impact of fragmented logistics and massive air freight volume is severe – and this is rarely discussed.

“We are allowing an uncontrolled system to operate despite knowing the risk. Delaying effective action until the future only increases the damage.

“The question is not whether regulation is expensive, but whether Europe can afford not to act.

“In this model, quality control, tax payment, intellectual property protection and regulatory compliance are largely ignored, leaving price as the dominant factor. This creates unfair competition and puts enormous pressure on compliant businesses and risks dismantling a professional ecosystem that has been built over decades.”

Pal believes that regulation could be straightforward. “Every incoming parcel should be subject to item-based custom duties and at least a meaningful percentage – around 10% – should undergo physical inspection.

“Yes, this would be costly, but the alternative is allowing uncontrolled, sometime unsafe, products to enter the EU market in massive volumes. The current situation, where low value parcels enter duty-free and are deliberately split below regulatory thresholds is unsustainable and fundamentally unfair.”

He added that Energofish has responded to the challenges by reinforcing areas where responsible businesses clearly add value – product development, quality assurance, brand trust and long-term relationships with anglers and retailers.

“At the same time, we have to accept that price sensitivity plays a growing role. Competing with platforms that avoid normal tax, customs and regulatory obligations is extremely difficult. Therefore, our focus remains on transparency, compliance and building brands that customers can trust beyond short-term price considerations.”