A new campaign led by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and four conservation organizations is calling on the UK government to make a commitment to use 100 percent sustainable seafood, in line with progressive food companies and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In a letter to Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon and Farming Minister Jim Paice, the UK’s government seafood-sourcing standards are described as “wholly unacceptable.”
The campaigners — which include the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, Marine Conservation Society, Environmental Justice Foundation and Sustain — expressed their concern over the “the very weak sustainable seafood commitment” in Defra’s (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) recently proposed food-buying rules for Whitehall, government agencies and the military. The new rules would cover only one in every five fish purchased by the public sector, according to the campaigners.
“We ask you to take immediate action to improve the seafood sustainability procurement standards … to demonstrate leadership to all catering professionals and fish-buying organizations,” said the campaigners in the letter.
The campaigners noted that even fast-food giant McDonald’s has a stronger seafood-sourcing policy than the UK government.
The campaigners are also sent a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron. In it, the campaigners declare that the fish in Larry the No. 10 Cat’s pet food is greener than that served to ministers and staff at 10 Downing Street. “It is shameful that government is introducing seafood standards for some parts of the public sector which are weaker than those standards in Larry’s pet food,” Alex Jackson, coordinator of the Sustainable Fish City campaign, told London’s Daily Mail.
“Responsible food companies recognize that they need to commit to buying fish only from sustainable sources. The future of fish, precious marine environments and good fishing livelihoods depends on these commitments,” said Kath Dalmeny, policy director of Sustain, in a press release. “As taxpayers, these pathetic government proposals mean that millions of pounds of our money will continue to be spent on endangered fish and on damaging fishing practices. This is a shocking state of affairs.”
