The U.K. fisheries minister has paid tribute to the country’s fishing, aquaculture, and seafood sectors on behalf of the government for continuing to supply much-needed food during the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
In an open letter, Victoria Prentis MP Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), said, “To all those who contribute to our fishing, seafood and aquaculture industries, thank you.”
Prentis said as a nation, the United Kingdom was “undoubtedly going through one of the greatest health challenges of a generation,” which has led the government to take some “unprecedented steps,” including instructing people to stay at home, to protect the National Health Service (NHS) and save lives.
“Coronavirus has affected every part of our economy and this has been felt particularly severely by our fishing, seafood and aquaculture industries – where so much of our great produce is sold around the world,” she said. “I am immensely grateful for all those in the fishing, seafood and aquaculture industries who continue to operate in these testing times, or who have reduced operations to limit the spread of the disease.”
Prentis promised to work with industry and businesses to help them access the financial aid being made available by government during the crisis. This support includes a new GBP 10 million (USD 12.5 million, EUR 11.5 million) fund provided for fishing and aquaculture businesses in England that have been affected by coronavirus.
With a proportion of the three-month fund going to support initiatives to encourage U.K. consumers to buy locally-caught fish, Prentis wrote, “To the public, I urge you to support your local fishermen at this time. I am particularly pleased to see home delivery initiatives to connect consumers with local fishmongers, fishermen, and merchants.”
Her letter also highlighted the “invaluable work” carried out by specialist charities for fishing communities.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
