Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support fishing and fish processing communities as part of the Seafood 2040 Strategy.

Seafood 2040 is an industry led framework of 25 recommendations which sets out the vision for the seafood supply chain in England. The majority of the framework’s recommendations are for the industry to take an all-sector collaborative approach. A number of recommendations require Government action, which we are fully committed to delivering.

Defra is currently supporting the delivery of the framework’s first recommendation, which will see the creation of the Seafood Industry Leadership Group (SILG). SILG will take the lead in the delivery of Seafood 2040 in terms of developing more detailed plans and recommendations. Once SILG is established, it will drive forward the delivery of Seafood 2040.

Although SILG is not yet established, Defra fisheries teams are working closely with the industry, such as the aquaculture sector, to develop mechanisms which are relevant and fit for purpose for the management of fisheries and aquaculture.