Recommendation 17

HM Government · verbatim extract Acknowledged

29. Defra welcomes the Committee’s scrutiny of how the fishing industry was engaged in annual consultations with the EU in 2026. Overall, these negotiations were very successful and – importantly – were concluded in good time for fishing operations in 2026. 30. As noted in the UK-EU written record of fisheries consultations for 2026, due to the urgency of the negotiations and the condition of a number of depleted stocks, it was necessary to agree technical measures at pace as part of the negotiations. This is not the normal approach to adopting technical measures, which we recognise affect the way that fishers can operate. While there were real time constraints, given the timing of the key scientific advice, we prioritised regular and meaningful engagement with industry throughout the negotiations process and afterwards. During the negotiations themselves, Defra met weekly with industry representatives to provide updates and receive feedback to help inform the UK’s negotiating position. We took the opportunity to provide as much information as we could, albeit the negotiations took place under confidentiality constraints, which sometimes limited the level of detail that could be shared. 31. Following the end of the negotiations, Defra met with industry to discuss the outcomes, including informing industry of the licence conditions in the Celtic Sea and their implementation date. Defra also sent a newsletter and a stakeholder bulletin which contained guidance on the changes. Working with the MMO, we will build on this approach for the Channel and Irish Sea technical measures, ensuring that stakeholders are engaged and supported through clear communication as implementation timelines are confirmed and in a manner that ensures commercial fishing businesses have time to adapt prior to their implementation.