Defra concludes consultation on amendments to Annex A of JFS

Article summary

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in conjunction with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland), has published the response to its October 2024 consultation on proposed amendments to Annex A of the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). Following the receipt of 39 responses, the UK government and devolved administrations have updated Annex A, with the changes taking immediate effect. Key amendments include extending the Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) publication deadlines, implementing technical changes to planned FMPs, broadening the scope of the Periwinkle Northern Ireland FMP to cover other hand-gathered shellfish, adjusting authorities responsible for FMP preparation, and renaming certain FMPs for consistency. Under the Fisheries Act 2020, fisheries policy authorities must report on the implementation of policies in the JFS and how these policies have achieved or contributed to the achievement of the eight fisheries objectives three years after the JFS’ publication....