Bijdrage visse­rij­com­missie over het initi­a­­tief­verslag over de "van boer tot bord"-strategie voor een eerlijk, gezond en mili­eu­­vrien­­delijk voed­­sel­­systeem

Anja Hazekamp (PvdD): Dear colleagues. As proposed in the PECH-opinion, fisheries deserve attention and indeed more ambition is needed to create a fair, healthy and sustainable food system when it comes to fisheries. We have addressed some concerns of the PECH committee in the ENVI/AGRI report, for example on legal clarity regarding investements and use of space and licenses in aqualculture.

However, I don’t agree with the calls to increase fish consumption in Europe. European Fish Dependence Day marks the date on which Europe has used up all its domestic fish resources. It marks the moment from which the EU relies on fish and seafood imports for the rest of the year in order to meet consumption demand. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has calculated this moment for several years, and the last European Fish Dependence calculated was on the 9th of July. This means that if we want to maintain the current consumption patterns, Europe will have to continue to deplete Oceans in African waters and elsewhere. I don’t think this is a good idea at all.

Regarding the suggestions for better labelling, I agree that consumers should be able to make an informed choice and shouldn’t be misled. One example is the farming of so-called organic salmon, which often does not have a closed cycle and in which fish hardly have any room for natural behaviour. Yet this salmon is being sold as ‘organic’. I therefore agree that we should improve labelling conditions in order to avoid that consumers are misled.

Thank you.