A new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) has formed to help boost the UK’s farmed shellfish industry.
Featuring 26 MPs and members of the House of Lords the APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture aims to support the environmentally friendly industry which has struggled in recent years from increased bureaucracy and a lack of government support.
The inaugural meeting was hosted by South Devon MP, Caroline Voaden.
“I’m thrilled to have launched the APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture, and to have members from such a broad swathe of the UK,” she said.
“From Devon to the Scottish Islands, this APPG has legislators who are committed to helping this industry which has such incredible potential but is being hamstrung by a toxic combination of red tape and government inaction.”
Farmed shellfish is an excellent source of sustainable protein and needs no feed, medicine or chemicals. It also helps protect the environment by acting as a carbon and nitrogen sink and improving water quality.
The UK has some of the most productive waters in the world for shellfish aquaculture but has struggled because of factors such as Brexit, raw sewage discharges and lacklustre government interest.
The new APPG for Shellfish Aquaculture seeks to change this by providing political support to help this valuable and job-creating industry to thrive. Caroline Voaden, Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, will serve as chair; James Wild, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, as vice chair; and Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth and Torcuil Chrichton, Labour MP for the Hebrides, as officers.
The Shellfish Association of Great Britain will serve as the APPG’s secretariat.
