Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of fishing by China’s state-sponsored distant water fleet in the (a) Andaman Sea and (b) Gulf of Thailand.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to engaging with other countries, including China, to sustainably manage fisheries, protect ecosystems and combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. We support ocean protection through appropriate funding. For example, at the G7 Leaders Summit in Cornwall, the Government pledged £500 million to create our Blue Planet Fund to help developing countries protect the ocean from pollution, overfishing and habitat loss. We also push for multilateral action internationally, including through Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, the Convention of Biological Diversity and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation. The UK remains committed to international law and UNCLOS.
China is building a network of fishing bases in developing countries across four continents. Comprising ports, boats, and fish processing plants, the bases service China's distant-water fleet: an armada of over 4,600 vessels (potentially many more) that operates in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of 42 countries and accounts for 14 percent of worldwide marine catch by value.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the fisheries transparency reforms introduced by Thailand's government in 2015 on fish stocks in the region.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are monitoring developments regarding proposals to reform Thailand's Fisheries Act and are engaging with relevant organisations to understand the potential impact of these reforms. The UK complies with its international obligations to maintain labour, maritime and environmental standards, and we encourage other countries to do the same.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with representatives of Thailand's government on its proposed fishing reforms.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are monitoring developments regarding proposals to reform Thailand's Fisheries Act and are engaging with relevant organisations to understand the potential impact of these reforms. The UK complies with its international obligations to maintain labour, maritime and environmental standards, and we encourage other countries to do the same.
Mentions:
1: Lord Clement-Jones (LD - Life peer) regulation at a time when numerous other jurisdictions, such as Switzerland, Turkey, South Korea, China and Thailand - Speech Link
Mar. 26 2024
Source Page: UK tariff rate quotas 2024Found: 712,401 4,555,900 15.636866 712,399 2 Order number: 05.4254 - WTO Country of origin: Thailand
Mar. 25 2024
Source Page: EM on UK/EU WA Joint Committee decision (COM(2024)57)Found: Over 5,000 tonnes of poultry trade is also included, covering major partners such as B razil and Thailand
Mentions:
1: Earl of Sandwich (XB - Excepted Hereditary) A large number of Christian communities have fled to neighbouring countries such as Thailand and India - Speech Link
Special Report Mar. 22 2024
Committee: Foreign Affairs Committee (Department: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)Found: Fiji, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the value of fisheries stocks imported from Thailand in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The nominal value of seafood goods, mainly shrimps & prawns, and skipjack tuna, imported from Thailand was £64m in 2019, £50m in 2020, £40m in 2021, £37m in 2022 and £36m last year.
Oral Evidence Mar. 21 2024
Inquiry: Food, Diet and ObesityFound: In a case study in Thailand, for example, a global food brand wanted to introduce a new snack there