The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA)
Committee is to hold an inquiry into a government scheme to
promote the long-term future and sustainability of the fisheries
and seafood sector – known as the UK Seafood Fund.
The £100m fund is in addition to other UK funding that has
replaced EU funding for the sector following Brexit.
The government has said the objectives of the UK Seafood Fund are
to:
- reform and modernise infrastructure in order to ‘level up’ -
and bring economic growth to - coastal communities;
- ensure the best science, research and technology is used in
fisheries management;
- encourage new entrants to the industry, while upskilling
current members; and
- enable an environmentally sustainable fishing industry.
There will be three funding streams within the UK Seafood Fund:
Science & Innovation; Infrastructure; and Skills &
Training. There will also be a £1m fund to help access external
markets.
Among the issues the EFRA inquiry will look at will be:
- how the Seafood Fund will meet the Prime Minister’s
commitment to modernise fishing fleets and the fish processing
industry;
- if the fund will promote economic growth in coastal
communities;
- what science and innovation development the fund should
prioritise; and
- how the fund should be used to improve the environmental
sustainability of the fishing industry.
For more information about the inquiry, please click here
The Committee welcomes written evidence about the Seafood Fund
from people engaged in the fishing and seafood sector, those
living in or representing coastal communities, expert
commentators, and others. For further information on how to
submit written information to us, and how we then use that
information, please click here. The
closing date for submissions is Tuesday 10 May at 23:59.
Other information will be sought by the Committee through
inviting witnesses to our oral evidence sessions held in
Parliament’s Committee Rooms. In general, most evidence sessions
are held in public, are announced in advance and can be watched
on parliamentlive.tv
