UK Government response to CFP reform
Dec 30th, 2009 | By editor | Category: Government, UK Government NewsThe UK Government has submitted its official response to the European Commission’s green paper on reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) outlining key changes the UK wishes to see in a radical reform of CFP. These changes include:
- More responsibility at regional levels to bring decision making closer to those managing fisheries;
- Greater flexibility and clearer rights for fishermen to help them manage their businesses and fish quotas and to help reduce the waste of discards;
- More opportunity for industry and other partners to be involved in fisheries science and management and in marine policy making more generally;
- Long-term conservation of the marine environment, upon which healthy fish stocks depend, to be at the heart of a reformed CFP and support for wider environmental aims including conservation of important marine areas or species; and
- Extending the principles of sustainable and responsible fisheries internationally to secure global future food security.
The UK Government response to the European Commission’s green paper can be found on their Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Reform page.
The UK response sets out how changes to fisheries management and rights to fishing opportunities across member states may need to be changed to allow the UK fishing industry to benefit from new economic opportunities.
In a reformed CFP the UK Government wants the flexibility for fishermen to be able to better plan their business. This cannot happen at the moment as the current CFP means the industry has to adapt at short notice every year to changes agreed in Europe.
The UK Government’s response also explains how the wasteful practice of discards can be further reduced by moving decision making to regional and local levels so that regional plans better reflect the circumstances in each area and improving the way in which fishermen’s catches are recorded.
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