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Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 February 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 February 2008. It was answered by Jonathan Shaw (Labour) on Monday, 18 February 2008 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Fishing Industry: Waste Disposal

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether the European Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries has assessed any UK fishery in relation to its viability for a discard ban; and if he will make a statement;
Answer

DEFRA conducted a public consultation on the Commission's discards proposals in 2007, and shared our views, and the salient points from the consultation with the Commission at various community fora. DEFRA officials also met with representatives of the industry. The views of a number of UK organisations are reflected in the subsequent North Sea Regional Advisory Council's (RAC) response. This is available on the North sea RAC website at:"http://www.nsrac.org/"With regard to discussions I have had with the European Commission and EU member states on the Commission Communication Com (2007) 136, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 December 2007, Official Report, columns 706-07W. The Council's conclusions were agreed and circulated in May 2007 (9891/07 PECHE 163).DEFRA is not aware that the European Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries (STECF) has assessed any UK fishery in relation to its viability for a discard ban. The issue of discards is a known priority for the European Commission, and proposals that will make a contribution to addressing the problem are expected to be made in 2008. However, we are not aware that the Commission will make a single proposal for an EU-wide ban on discards.Instead, the Commission is likely to propose measures tailored to regional and biological circumstances, sometimes as part of broader initiatives. The UK Government expect draft provisions regarding discards to be included in a range of forthcoming proposals, including cod recovery and technical conservation.While awaiting the Commission's proposals, DEFRA continues to engage with the industry in progressing work on a number of initiatives aimed at reducing discards. These include: the Irish Sea Data Enhancement Project; Gear Selectivity Trials conducted by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) scientists; and, as part of the 2008 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quota regime, the introduction of real time closures and other technical measures to help reduce discards of cod and whiting.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
186077; 472 c266W
Session
2007-08
Subjects
Fisheries Fishing catches EU action
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk