David Parker, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Young’s Seafood Limited and Mike Mitchell, Non-Executive Member of the Board and Advisor to the Board on CSR and Technical Issues, will this week (31st January – 3rd February) both be speaking at the annual International SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Malta, outlining their vision for the future of sustainability in the seafood sector.
The exclusive global seafood conference will bring together industry experts, leaders from the conservation community, academia, government and the media to tackle the issue of sustainability in the seafood sector and to advance innovation solutions. SeaWeb first launched the Seafood Summit in Washington D.C in 2002 and the international event has since grown to become renowned across the industry as the only arena for all sector stakeholders to come together around sustainable seafood.
On Tuesday 2nd February David Parker, who head’s Young’s Seafood Limited’s CSR programme, will discuss the Global Ghost Gear Initiative with other industry experts, exploring the ways in which the seafood industry can play a part in driving economically viable and sustainable solutions to the problem of ghost fishing gear.
David Parker will also discuss the extensive work Young’s Seafood Limited have undertaken to address sustainability throughout the company’s supply chain while speaking on the Sustainable Seafood Coalition cross-industry panel. Young’s Seafood Limited were amongst the first organisations to sign up to the Sustainable Seafood Coalition’s voluntary codes of conduct in 2014. The Grimsby-based company committed to the Coalitions Labeling Code and Sourcing Code, pledging to clearly label all packing in line with the coalitions sustainability and responsibility criteria, and to continue to source fish and seafood responsibly.
Commenting on the international seafood summit, David Parked said, “Sustainability in the seafood sector is an incredibly important issue for Young’s Seafood Limited. With our award winning Fish for Life programme on responsible sourcing, and our 10 Principles of Responsible Fish Procurement, we’re committed to ensuring that great quality fish is accessible to all, now and for generations to come. Speaking at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit is a fantastic opportunity to share our Corporate Social Responsibility expertise with other sector leaders and I look forward to working towards a more sustainable future with the industry and conservation community.”
Mike Mitchell, Non-Executive Member of the Board and Advisor to the Board on CSR and Technical Issues at Young’s Seafood Limited, will deliver a speech at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit pre-conference Workshop on the role of social responsibility in the seafood industry. Drawing upon his extensive experience working on Young’s award winning Fish for Life Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, Mike Mitchell will call for cooperation and collaboration across the seafood industry, with the goal of developing a global approach to promote ethical seafood sourcing.
Mike Mitchell will speak alongside Kevin Hyland OBE, the first UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, appointed by the Home Secretary, and a number of leader figures from Governments, finance, industry and the public, voluntary and campaigning sectors with an interest in sustainability. He commented, “The issue of social injustice on the seas is a very real problem. The difficulty in tracking vessels once they are out at sea makes this a unique challenge in the food manufacturing industry and one which can only be addressed through collaboration within the sector. There are risk based solutions available, but to confront social injustice at sea the fishing industry, seafood businesses, governments and human rights agencies must come first come together. Speaking at the SeaWeb Ethics Workshop is a great opportunity to push forward this important process.”
