Asda has joined calls for Britain's withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to protect the livelihoods of Scottish fishermen and preserve fish stocks in the North Sea.
Gordon Maddan, regulatory affairs manager at Asda, said: "We want all the fish we sell to be sustainable. It's clear, however, that the CFP has failed to deliver, so we are supporting calls for a radical change in approach."
The supermarket believes a new management regime, devised by fishermen and taking on board the views of NGOs and other stakeholders, should replace the CFP. It would give fishermen a stake in managing the stocks on which their livelihoods depend.
Maddan added: "We believe independent certification is the only way to secure the long-term future of Scottish fisheries. We're already working closely with the Scottish Executive, Scottish fishermen's organisations and the Marine Stewardship Council to bring this about."
Earlier this year, Asda announced it was dramatically changing the way it sources fish, bringing its sustainable fish policy into line with its parent company Wal-Mart. Within the next three to five years, Asda will stock only wild-caught fresh and frozen fish from fisheries that meet the Marine Stewardship Council's independent environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.
The Fishermen's Association and Save Britain's Fish have been campaigning for UK withdrawal from the CFP for the past ten years, saying that thousands of fishermen have lost their jobs as a direct result of EU conservation policy. They estimate that 196 vessels bigger than ten metres have been scrapped between 2001 and 2004, and that 1,100 boats have left the UK fleet in the 20 years since the UK joined the Common Market.
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