Consultation with seafood industry on future role of Seafish to get underway in June

Seafish, the public body that supports the seafood industry in the UK, will ask the seafood industry to share views on the organisation’s future direction and funding as part of a strategic review this year. 

As a public body, Seafish must carry out strategic reviews from time to time. The Seafish Board decided in November 2019 to carry out a review in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed this process. Preparations for the review started at the end of 2020 and the industry consultation will launch on 1st June. 

Over 8 weeks, individuals, businesses and organisations will be asked to share views on how Seafish can best serve the seafood sector in the UK and how it can be funded. There will be two ways to take part:   

• Supply Chain Workshops, drawing together stakeholders from all sectors and from all four nations of the UK. These will be held virtually due to the current pandemic situation. Seafish will contact people over the next few weeks, inviting them to take part. 
    
• Respond to questions in a written submission or by answering an online survey. This will be available to anyone who wants to share their views. Details on how to take part this way will be shared when the industry consultation starts in June.   

Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: “The aim of this strategic review is to strengthen our offering. We want to ensure we are set up and funded in the best way to help our seafood sector throughout the UK to thrive now and in the future.  

“The nature of the seafood industry is always evolving. It’s now facing the challenges that have come from the Covid-19 pandemic and as we get used to trading, fishing and working outside the EU. We are committed to helping the industry through these changes so it’s crucial to ask seafood businesses how we can best support them.” 

Seafish is working with the UK’s four governments to ensure that the strategic review process is fair and transparent. A Strategic Review Steering Group, including Seafish and all four government administrations, is overseeing the process and ensuring the strategic review fulfils the Government’s needs for a review of a public body. 

An independent facilitator will lead the stakeholder workshops and the written submissions part of the industry consultation. The steering group is guiding the review process through to submission of a report to government by the Seafish board in November 2021. 

An Invitation to Tender for independent experts to manage the two elements of the industry consultation is available on the Seafish website. 

ENDS