On Tuesday 16th July the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee will publish its report – The EU fisheries landing obligation: six months on.
The EU landing obligation aims to protect fish stocks, and the wider marine environment, by requiring fishers to land all fish caught (and be counted against their quota) rather than discarding unwanted fish overboard. It has been introduced gradually since 2015 and came into force in full in January.
Now, six months in to the landing obligation becoming a legal requirement, the committee’s report examines the regulation’s effectiveness and if the industry and Government has taken the steps to ensure compliance.
The report follows on from the Committee’s inquiry, undertaken in late 2018, on the UK’s preparedness to implement the landing obligation. It concluded that the four-year phasing in period had not been used effectively to prepare, and that the UK would not be in a position to ensure compliance with the landing obligation when it came into force.
The Committee heard evidence from groups including National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, British Ports Association and the Coastal Producer Organisation.
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