FDF response to Reform to the Common Fisheries Policy
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November 2009
This response is sent on behalf of the Food and Drink Federation, which
represents the UK's food and drink manufacturing industry – the country's
largest
manufacturing sector.
Our membership includes some 30 companies accounting for about 85% of UK fish
processing capacity, with a value of around £2 billion a year. These are major
added-value processors and brand owners, as well as co-producers for retailers
and
the food service sector.
As a trade association, we strongly support responsible sourcing of fish and
have a good record of working with UK and other regulatory authorities to
promote
sustainable fishing practices and improved fisheries management.
We are major importers of fish and through our European association (AIPCE) have
consistently taken a leading role in supporting measures to combat Illegal,
Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The FDF broadly supports the vision for European Fisheries in 2020 set out in
the Commission's Green Paper. But fisheries are a renewable resource with
enormous
potential to contribute to future food security in a world where demand is
likely to double by 2050 and where agriculture will face severe challenges from
the
effects of climate change and shortages of land, water and energy. We therefore
believe that CFP reform needs to look further ahead and at this wider context.
This means putting a corresponding future value on fish stocks and ensuring that
they are responsibly managed with the aim of maximising long term yields and as
an integral part of the marine ecosystems on which they depend. This will also
have to be done in ways which minimise wastage, save energy and generally
promote
efficient resource use, at sea and on land.
This will require a radical change of approach, taking account of the supply
chain as a whole and the wider consumer interest, in addition to the needs of
those
who currently earn their living directly from the exploitation of a common
natural resource.
This means:
- prioritising the sustainable management of fisheries to the highest
international standards;
- focussing on meeting the EU's future food needs (in terms of safety, quality,
nutritional value, affordability and security of supply).
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