UK Fishers: EU Agreement Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lord Mountevans
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UK Fishers: EU Agreement
Lord Mountevans Excerpts(3 weeks, 5 days ago)
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Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
The Government are looking with different groups and industry to increase protections across MPAs and at the best way to move that forward. Around 100 of our MPAs have by-laws which are in place to protect designated species and habitats from fishing gear that we know is damaging, including bottom trawling. As I have said before, we are looking at how we can move forward in this area.
Lord Mountevans (CB)
My Lords, the Fisheries Minister is looking at better matching the fish we catch in UK waters with what we eat as a nation. Given that the Government spend more than £5 billion on food procurement, can the Minister confirm that they are doing everything possible to support UK fishers and farmers in their procurement?
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
We have said before in the House that we intend to hugely increase local procurement of food by government departments, hospitals, prisons, schools and so on. Clearly, fish is part of that, as is locally produced food from our farms. We are very keen to move that forward at pace and are currently looking at how best to do that.