The Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS), which was established in 2006 by Seafish, has been fully revised and now includes a focus on social responsibility requirements such as crew welfare which will give the seafood supply chain more transparency on the vessels supplying fish.
It is now the only vessel based programme certifying responsible catching practices and crew welfare on fishing vessels.
Helen Duggan, Head of Responsible Sourcing at Seafish said: “RFS certification allows fishermen to demonstrate adherence and shows the supply chain commitment to best practice, from the quality and safety of a catch to ethical crew welfare. We have already had interest from a range of large retailers and food service suppliers about committing to RFS certified suppliers once the new scheme is up and running and with Government legislation coming in requiring them to prove there is no slavery in their supply chains, RFS offers a real solution for those sourcing seafood in the UK.
“Skipper Expo Int. Aberdeen has always been hugely successful for us and with the revised Responsible Fishing Scheme launching later this summer, we are keen to promote the benefits of the scheme to fishermen. We have worked closely with the catching sector to develop the new RFS standards and this will be one of the first opportunities we have to talk to them directly and give them a chance to ask us any questions.”
The Skipper Expo Int. Aberdeen 2015 will be held in the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre in Scotland on 29 and 30 May.
