During a question to the Welsh Government’s Minister for Rural Affairs, the Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy and Shadow Minister for Climate Change – Janet Finch-Saunders MS – has urged the devolved administration to amend public procurement practices to increase the amount of seafood bought and served by public bodies.
This is the latest intervention in the Member’s long-running campaign to champion sustainable Welsh producers. In the previous Senedd, Janet urged the Welsh Government to create more sites for food markets; develop a network of food hubs; and introduce a Local Food and Drink Charter to encourage shops, cafés, and restaurants to sell locally sourced Welsh food and drink and help promote the scheme to consumers.
Underlining the positive impact a change could have, Janet said:
“Our fishing industry and the aquaculture sector remain an essential element of the Welsh food strategy. From North Wales crab to Conwy and Menai mussels, sustainable producers are providing consumers with high quality, nutritious food that includes essential sources of protein and omega 3.
“With the consultation on the Joint Fisheries Statement now live, something that I have responded to, the national benefit objective has come into stark focus once again. It stands as a reminder that, of the approximately 666,000 tonnes of fish that were caught in the UK in 2014, 75% was exported.
“I continue to argue that the aqua-food sector here in Wales does need to be integrated more fully into a new food and drink strategy, as currently the division from agri-food is preventing from embarking on what could be described as a ‘food in the round’ strategy.
“There is certainly more that the Welsh Government can do in the here and now to support producers, in terms of the domestic market. To ensure efficient use of seafood harvested from our seas, I have urged the Welsh Government to amend public procurement practices so that the use of seasonal Welsh seafood and fish increases within our schools, our hospitals and integrated onto the dishes of the public.”
ENDS
Photo: by Krisztian Tabori on Unsplash
