Stakeholders across the seafood industry are being asked to respond to a public consultation by providing feedback on the draft standard criteria for the next iteration of the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS), to be called the Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard (RFVS).
The RFVS standard criteria have been released by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, and not-for-profit organisation, Global Seafood Assurances (GSA).
Helen Duggan, head of RFS transition at Seafish, said, “We’re keen to ensure that the Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard is fit for purpose and meets market needs. To achieve this, we’re employing a robust, collaborative and interactive process to develop the draft standard criteria, mirroring best practice in international standard development.”
The revised criteria were informed by the objectives outlined in the terms of reference, established through feedback received during an initial consultation in 2018. The overarching goals are to create a standard which continues to meet the UK seafood sector supply chain assurance requirements; is capable of meeting international supply chain assurance requirements; is third-party assessed and meets the requirements of ISO 17065 and has the ability to deliver a streamlined certification process.
Based on the consultation feedback the draft standard criteria have been developed by technical working groups comprising industry representatives, NGOs, standard holders and experts from all sectors of the fishing industry and seafood supply chain.
The public consultation will be open for 60 days with the deadline for responses on Monday 14 October 2019. More information can be found at the Seafish website.
