Domestic fisheries policy sustainability and environment. At a swelteringly hot event in London on Thursday night, Secretary of State for the Environment, Steve Reed gave a speech setting out his priorities for the department where he has recently taken the reins. He laid out his five key priorities (cleaning up rivers, lakes and the sea; working towards a zero waste economy; boosting food security through support for producers; speeding up nature recovery; accelerating flood defence construction) and set these within the context of the Prime Minister’s core commitment to promoting economic growth. He was explicit in identifying support for fishers as an important part of that and emphasised partnership working and collaboration to deliver change.
The language of nature crisis and environmental decline was much used, but so too were references to supporting domestic food production and food security. There was an overriding note of optimism that positive action can solve problems and that the time is right to reset relations between government, producers and environmentalists.
The balancing act between different interests that lies at the heart of Defra was clear to see this evening – both in the Secretary of State’s speech and later in conversation with him and his ministerial team. There is no doubt that they will have to take some difficult decisions very soon. The NFFO’s job is to ensure that they remember the importance of fishers and fishing communities when they do so. The UK fishing industry is certainly being talked about more in government that in often has been – and it is finally being talked about for its important contribution to the nation, not as a conservation problem, or a planning constraint.
As we have said many times before, though: what they do will count for far more than what they say.
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