Mayors food advisor calls on PM to help make London a Sustainable Fish City
London Mayor's food advisor Rosie Boycott has joined Sustainable Fish City in inviting PM David Cameron, Number 10 and Whitehall to pledge to serve only sustainable fish.
London Mayor's food advisor Rosie Boycott has joined the Sustainable Fish City campaign in inviting Prime Minister David Cameron, Number 10 and Government Departments in Whitehall to pledge to serve only sustainable fish.
The letter, sent on 4th March 2011, said:
Help London become the world’s first Sustainable Fish City, and inspire more towns, cities and villages to opt for sustainable fish
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to invite you to help London become the world’s first Sustainable Fish City, and to inspire more towns, cities and villages to opt for sustainable fish.
This request is urgent. Within the next ten days, your Government will decide on sustainability standards for seafood bought by Central Government, as part of your Government Buying Standards (overseen by Jim Paice MP and Defra officials), which implements the Conservative Party’s manifesto commitment to leadership on sustainable procurement.
There is only one sensible way forward, which is for the Government to specify 100% sustainable seafood standards in Government Buying Standards, fully adopting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games sustainable seafood commitment. You would have enormous support in doing so.
Fifty contributors helped devise the London 2012 sustainable seafood standard, including Defra officials, leading fish supply and processing industry representatives, fish conservation specialists, non governmental organisations and other stakeholders. Sustainable fish policies have since been adopted by the Greater London Authority (GLA), and its functionary bodies, the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, and London Fire Brigade; as well as the National Trust and many caterers and restaurants.
By adopting a fully sustainable seafood procurement policy, you would ensure that caterers for your own dining at Number 10 – and also in Whitehall, prisons, the armed forces and government departments – no longer serve endangered species; promote sustainable management of fisheries; and support good fishing livelihoods. Many of these institutions are based in London, so you could go a long way to helping London be the world’s first Sustainable Fish City, and inspiring others to take part.
The letter was co-signed by Jon Walker, Coordinator of Sustainable Fish City, and Rosie Boycott, Chair of the London Food Board.
Published Friday 4 March 2011
Sustainable Fish: A campaign to protect precious marine environments and fishing livelihoods, and call for fish to be bought from sustainable sources. We want to show what can be done if people and organisations make a concerted effort to change their buying habits.
