U.K. retailer Morrisons has announced a series of new commitments developed in partnership with Seafish’s Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS) as part of its seafood policy.
For the first time, any boats fishing for Morrisons will have to sign up to a range of measures to ensure anyone working on them is safe on board.
The policy is attempting to raise awareness of an important issue in an industry that sees 12 people die at work annually in the U.K. alone. It is expected that every boat supplying Morrisons will be singed up to the commitment by next year.
Morrisons has also worked with Seafish to carry out a full assessment of all the 525 U.K. boats supplying its fish, ensuring greater traceability. The retailer will also be setting standards on the handling of different species, labeling, traceability, storage and cleaning.
“We’ve worked closely with Seafish to develop our seafood policy as part of the Responsible Fishing Scheme. We think it’s extremely important to ensure that we’ve put in place a minimum set of standards across the board, particularly in relation to health and safety which is an area often neglected in the seafood industry,” said Huw Thomas, Morrisons’ fisheries and aquaculture manager.
Seafish developed RFS to raise standards in the catching sector. The scheme was created in response to the needs of the seafood supply chain and its aim is to become a condition of supply.
“Crew competencies and training, along with vessel standards and hygiene are key to RFS and complement Seafish’s wider priorities to ensure a safer industry and the capture of high quality seafood from some of the best vessels and crews in the UK fleet. This partnership sets a precedent for those within the seafood supply chain to demonstrate their commitment to the responsible sourcing of seafood,” said Mick Bacon, Seafish’s RFS training and accreditation adviser.
