Seafish Wales Advisory Committee meeting Minutes of 3 rd meeting Held on: 16/04/14 Venue: Welsh Government Offices, Aberystwyth Attendees: Jim Evans Welsh Fisherman s Association Rob Floyd Welsh Government Ashley Jones Selwyn s Seafoods Trevor Jones Bangor Mussel Producers Ltd Jon Parker Cywain Fisheries, Freelance consultant Tom Pickerell Seafish Technical Director David Tripp Welsh Government, Head of Strategy Holly Whiteley Seafish Wales Jim Williamson Welsh Seafish Industry Training Association Ltd James Wilson Seafish Board member (Chair) Apologies: Jonathan Adams E.Ashton Fishmongers Ltd, National Federation of Fishmongers (new member) Natalie Harrison Aberdaron Seafoods Malcolm Large Seafish Head of International Trade and Regions John Penaluna Penaluna s Famous Fish and Chips, National Federation of Fish Friers (new member) Greg Philpot Welsh Seafish Industry Training Association Ltd Skip Rudder Castle Bay Seafoods (potential new member) 1. Welcome, introductions and apologies (James Wilson) James welcomed everyone to the meeting, and gave apologies on behalf of those that could not attend. In light of new membership, there was a brief discussion about whether or not industry representation on the Committee sufficiently reflected the range of Welsh industry sectors and Welsh levy payers. It was agreed that although most sectors were represented, representation from large scale processing and wholesalers was lacking. It was recommended that the list of levy payers in Wales was used to identify 2-3 further potential candidates for the Committee. ACTION 1: Holly to select levy payers to invite onto the Committee. 2. Review of previous meeting minutes and brief progress update (Holly Whiteley) The Committee briefly ran through the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 18 th Dec 2013. The actions from the meeting were reviewed and discussed in turn. In summary; PREVIOUS ACTION 1: Holly will include links to the most recent Seafish board and panel meeting minutes on her regular updates to the Committee, on future agendas and also on the Seafish Wales webpage once live. COMPLETED. PREVIOUS ACTION 2: Jim to invite Jon Parker onto the Committee. COMPLETED. PREVIOUS ACTION 3: Greg to invite Skip Rudder onto the Committee. COMPLETED. PREVIOUS ACTION 4: All Committee members to identify other potential candidates and to let Holly know. ON-GOING.
PREVIOUS ACTION 5: Holly to liaise with Welsh Government about the launch and communication of the education pack. COMPLETED/ON-GOING PREVIOUS ACTION 6: Holly to scope out environmental health/trading standards project in the New Year. COMPLETED. PREVIOUS ACTION 7: Holly to start recording time spent on each area of work in the New Year, and prepare a short report of percentage of time spent on different areas for the next meeting. NOT COMPLETED DUE TO TIME BURDEN. NOT ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE TASK ALONGSIDE OTHER WORK. PREVIOUS ACTION 8: Holly and David to meet early in the New Year to discuss how Seafish can support Welsh Government in delivering the Strategic Action Plan, and to arrange a potential meeting with Seafish staff. COMPLETED/ON-GOING. PREVIOUS ACTION 9: Holly to approach Graham Rees about the possibility of the Seafish Wales Advisory Group also acting as the Food Federation industry sub-group. NOT COMPLETED. WAITING FOR SUMMARY OF CONSULTATION RESPONSE TO BE RELEASED. PREVIOUS ACTION 10: Holly to circulate all meeting dates for 2014 to Committee members. COMPLETED, ALTHOUGH NOTE THAT PROPOSED MEETING DATES MAY CHANGE IN LIGHT OF NEW MEMBERSHIP. There was a brief discussion surrounding Action 9. The summary of consultation responses regarding the Food and Drink Action Plan has now been released. The general feeling of Committee seemed to be that the Advisory Committee would be well placed to represent the seafood industry in any Food and Drink Federation/group created, and that the Committee should approach Welsh Government if they wanted to be considered. ACTION 2 (carried over): Holly to approach Graham Rees and Paula Whitfield (Food Policy Manager) about a seafood industry sub-group within the Food and Drink Federation. Holly gave a brief overview of key Seafish outputs since the last meeting held in December 2013. Key highlights included: - Two Seafish Introduction to Commercial Fishing courses delivered in Jan and Feb at Coleg Llandrillo. - A Seafish Fish is the Dish Education resource pack developed specifically for Wales has been launched and sent to all Welsh Primary schools. - Tender submitted for Welsh Government s Framework Agreement for Fisheries and Marine Environmental Evidence, on behalf of Seafish, Welsh Fisherman s Association and Bangor Mussel Producers Ltd. - Photography project for seven companies attending the Seafood Global Expo completed. - Wales Seafood Training Network partners established in North and South Wales. - Initial draft Seafish Wales Regional Strategy produced for discussion at SWAC meeting. There was a discussion surrounding the promotion of the Fish is the Dish education pack, in order to maximise its impact amongst schools in Wales. Holly informed the Committee that she and the Seafish Promoting Consumption team were planning a series of small events in school across Wales to raise the profile of the Education pack, and will be targeting local press.
3. Seafish update (Tom Pickerell) Tom gave a Seafish update on the following topics; - Levy consultation. The levy consultation received mixed responses, with a slight majority favouring a 10% reduction in Levy. The future of the Levy will ultimately be decided by the four Administrations. Due to a lack of decision by the end of the 2013/2014 financial year, Seafish will not be reducing the levy this year. For more information about Levy consultation responses see http://www.seafish.org/about-seafish/news-and-events/news/levy-consultation---summary-ofresponses - Regional review. A draft report regarding Seafish regional delivery has been produced by PricewatershouseCoopers (Pwc) following interviews with Seafish staff and regional industry representatives. Seafish have reviewed this initial draft and PwC are currently making amendments. The updated draft will be circulated to all Advisory Committee members for information. Tom highlight that so far, a key message from the Regional Review is that the Regional Staff needed a Regional Strategy to work to. - Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). The new, modified RFS standard is in development. The new standard includes welfare, health & safety and care of the catch, and aims to be ISO accredited. Jon Parker commented that the Responsible Fishing Scheme brand was a successful marketing tool. Tom noted that the name of the RFS will not be changing. - Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood (RASS). Seafish are developing a new seafood sourcing support tool, that will provide independent, science-based information about the environmental status of fisheries, at any spatial scale. The tool will be primarily targeted at commercial buyers, but can be used by anyone. The Committee expressed a lot of interest in the tool. ACTION 3: Holly to organise a meeting between Seafish, Welsh Government, Bangor University and industry members to discuss potential date contribution to and the use of RASS for Welsh fisheries. - Aquaculture review. Seafish are currently reviewing how they work with the aquaculture sector. The report will be completed in late May. - Staff update. Mel Groundsell has recently been appointed Corporate Relations Director. Mark Gray, Head of Responsible Sourcing is leaving Seafish at the end of April. A new appointment has been made to fill the Head of Responsible Sourcing post, due to start in July. - Corporate Plan development. Seafish have begun the process of developing the next Seafish Corporate Plan, April 2015 March 2018. This Plan will outline what Seafish will be doing over that three year period. Each workstream team within Seafish are currently preparing project proposals to be considered for incorporation in the new Corporate Plan. The plan will be developed over summer for sign off by the Seafish Board in December 2014. The Plan will then be submitted to each of the four Administrations for final sign off ready for the 1 st April 2015. 4. Seafish Wales Regional Strategy (Holly Whiteley) Holly explained that she was hoping to develop Regional Seafish Strategy for Wales, in parallel with the development of the new Seafish Corporate Plan. The Seafish Wales Regional Strategy is envisaged to be a sub-plan within the main Seafish Corporate Plan, and will outline a 3 year Seafish work programme that is specific to the needs of the Welsh seafood industry and Welsh Government. The Seafish Wales Advisory Committee will play a key role in developing and signing off the Seafish Wales Regional Strategy. Holly introduced the structure of the initial draft Strategy that she had produced, indicating that the programme of work outlined in the Strategy was broken down under the key Seafish workstreams. Ongoing, day-to-day activities had been defined under each work stream (examples were given), and for a select number of workstreams distinct Seafish projects had been proposed.
There was a discussion regarding a regional budget for the work outlined within the Seafish Wales Regional Strategy. Tom informed the Committee that he was advocating for Regional budgets in order to enable Regional staff to deliver their Strategies. It was expected that a Regional budget will be available for Wales, but at this moment in time there is uncertainty over what the total value of this budget will be. Tom suggested that a few, high impact projects would be a better approach then many, small low impact projects. Tom suggested that the Advisory Committee consider a few big projects that could deliver the widest benefits to the Welsh seafood industry. It was agreed by the Committee that the projects developed by the Advisory Committee should align with the Welsh Government (WG) Marine Transition Programme, which will outline the WG s programme of work for delivering the Marine and Fisheries Action Plan. It was noted that because the total value of budget was unknown, and because both the new Seafish Corporate Plan and the WG Marine Transition Programme were in development, it was too early to discuss potential project proposals within the Strategy in detail. However, the Advisory Committee were in a position to comment on the general approach of the Regional Strategy, and on the proposed structure/format of the draft Strategy presented. It was noted that the Advisory Committee were strongly supportive of the Strategic approach presented. In terms of general project areas, the Wales Seafood Training Network was strongly supported by Jon Parker due to its synergies with the proposals for training and development within the recent Food and Drink Action Plan consultation. Work to support the development of the aquaculture sector in Wales was also considered a potential project area because of the priority given to aquaculture production within the WG Marine and Fisheries Action Plan. In relation to the Wales Seafood Roadmap project outlined in the draft Strategy, James Wilson expressed concern that the project could lack focus and not be useful. However, Jon Parker and Holly clarified that the purpose of the project was to look at the various Welsh Government commitments and policies regarding seafood and fishing communities across all WG Divisions (i.e. Marine and Fisheries Division, Food Division etc), and develop a targeted roadmap/action plan for integrating and delivering these commitments/policies. The outputs of the project are envisaged to help industry and Welsh Government front-load EMFF and other European Funds in order to achieve proposed targets and facilitate sustainable growth. Other general project areas that could be considered include; i) supporting the representation of the seafood industry within the Welsh Government s Marine Planning process, and ii) fisherman s safety. Tom informed the Committee that Seafish will have a better idea of the workstream structure and objectives of the new Corporate Plan by mid Summer. In addition to this, David Tripp informed the Committee that work to be undertaken as part the Welsh Government Marine Transition Programme should be identified in 4-8 weeks. In light of the above, a rough timeline for the development of the Seafish Wales Regional Strategy is proposed below: April June Advisory Committee members to review and comment on current draft of Regional Strategy via email. Early June Holly to meet with Welsh Government to discuss the Marine Transition Programme in detail to ensure alignment of Regional Strategy.
Beginning of July Holly to circulate a revised draft of the Regional Strategy to Advisory Committee members for review, and to start developing internal Seafish Project Initiation Documents for the distinct projects proposed within the revised Strategy. The draft Regional Strategy could also be made public on the Seafish Wales website for wider, informal consultation with stakeholders. September Seafish Wales Advisory Committee meeting to finalise and sign off Seafish Wales Regional Strategy. December Seafish Board to sign off agreed Seafish Wales Regional Strategy. Jim Evans suggested that to help Committee members consider projects that aligned with the new Seafish Corporate Plan, they should look at the current Corporate Plan for an indication of what the new Seafish workstreams and objectives are likely to be. ACTION 4: Holly to circulate link to current Corporate Plan to all members. Link to current corporate plan: http://www.seafish.org/media/792580/seafish%20corporate%20plan.pdf ACTION 5: Holly to meet with Welsh Government in 4 to 8 weeks time to discuss alignment of the Seafish Wales Regional Strategy with the WG Marine Transition Programme. ACTION 6: Advisory Committee members to consider current draft Regional Strategy and email comments to Holly. Focusing on; what would you add? What would you take out? What is a good idea? What isn t a good idea? ACTION 7: Holly to revise the draft Seafish Wales Regional Strategy, following meeting to discuss alignment with WG Marine Transition Programme and considering the comments from Advisory Committee members. To circulate to Advisory Committee members for consultation in July 2014. 5. Welsh Government Marine and Fisheries update (David Tripp) David Tripp explained to the Committee that the WG Marine and Fisheries Division s Marine and Fisheries Strategic Action Plan identifies the main policy directions and pieces of work across marine and fisheries, and that the delivery mechanism for most of these is the Marine Transition Programme. The Minister is expected to make a Statement on the progress of Marine and Fisheries Action Plan delivery sometime in May. David and Rob introduced the EMFF Stakeholder workshop happening in Aberystwyth on 29 th April. There was a discussion surrounding aquaculture development as a priority within the Marine and Fisheries Action Plan and for EMFF funding. Welsh Government are aiming to release their Aquaculture Strategy/Policy document at the end of the year, following consultation event(s) with industry over the Summer. Finally, David informed the Committee that the Welsh Government had input a lot of resource into preparation for the Seafood Global Expo in May, and hoped that the Companies involved would find it a successful event. Additional notes Re. aquaculture development, Welsh Government and Seafish should look at the current situation, what the current barriers are, and focus on what can be feasible achieved. i.e. push at open doors.
Tom Pickerell informed the Committee that Seafish were exploring the benefits of re-establishing the Industry Project Fund, which could offer a potential source of match funding for EMFF projects. However, there is a question over whether or not IPF money would be considered double-funding. 6. Confirm date of next meeting. ACTION 8: Holly to canvas Committee members for most suitable dates for next two meetings; expected to be held in September 2014 and December or January 2015. 7. Any Other Business Jim Williamson informed the Committee about the current issue facing Pembrokeshire College re. the delivery of the Modern Sea Fishing Apprenticeship; those engaged in the fishing industry are considered self-employed, therefore there is an issue with respect to eligibility for Apprenticeship funding. SUMMARY OF ACTIONS ACTION 1: Holly to select levy payers to invite onto the Committee. ACTION 2: Holly to approach Graham Rees and Paula Whitfield (Food Policy Manager) about the Advisory Committee acting as a seafood industry sub-group within the proposed Wales Food and Drink Federation. ACTION 3: Holly to organise a meeting between Seafish, Welsh Government, Bangor University and industry members to discuss the use of RASS. ACTION 4: Holly to meet with Welsh Government in 4 to 8 weeks time to discuss alignment of the Seafish Wales Regional Strategy with Marine Transition Programme. ACTION 5: Holly to circulate link to current Corporate Plan to all members. Link to current corporate plan: http://www.seafish.org/media/792580/seafish%20corporate%20plan.pdf ACTION 6: Advisory Committee members to consider current draft Regional Strategy and email comments to Holly. Focusing on; what would you add? What would you take out? What is a good idea? What isn t a good idea? ACTION 7: Holly to revise the draft Seafish Wales Regional Strategy, following meeting to discuss alignment with WG Marine Transition Programme and considering comments from Advisory Committee members. To circulate to Advisory Committee members for consultation in July 2014. ACTION 8: Holly to canvas Committee members for suitable dates for next two meetings; expected to be held in September 2014 and December 2014 or January 2015.