The United Kingdom’s seafood industry has until 8 April, 2020, to provide feedback on the latest draft of the Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme (RFPS), which has been updated so that it can now be applied to fishing ports of all sizes.
RFPS is a voluntary program created by public body Seafish to promote and encourage responsible operating practices within U.K. fishing ports and harbors.
According to Seafish, the scheme “closed a certification gap” in the seafood supply chain, making the United Kingdom “a world leader in responsible sourcing practices,” with certification schemes available to cover the nation’s catch from sea to plate.
The first phase of the criteria development was completed and approved in 2018, enabling large ports to be certified by the RFPS. Scotland’s Peterhead Port was the first to achieve certification in 2019.
Following a series of pilot audits on small ports, the criteria was updated so that it could apply to all fishing port infrastructure. It was shared for public consultation on 5 February.
“We’re extremely pleased to share for public consultation, the draft standard of the Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme. We’ve worked closely with industry on the criteria development process to make the scheme applicable for all UK ports,” Marcus Jacklin, Seafish’s industry issues and insight representative, said. “I encourage all interested stakeholders to take the opportunity to review the standard and submit any feedback now before the standard is finalized and released.”
RFPS was developed to give greater assurance and transparency to buyers and users of seafood landed in the United Kingdom. It is independently audited, with accreditation allowing ports to demonstrate that they follow good practice across the five core areas of food safety and structural integrity, port and the working environment, care for the environment, care of the catch, and traceability.
