Committee publication · Special Report · 23 July 2026 · HC 550
2nd Special Report - Resetting the relationship with fishing communities: Government Response
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Fisheries and the marine environment
Summary
This is the government's formal response to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's April 2026 report on fishing communities. Defra acknowledges the Committee's three main concerns—funding mechanisms, communication and trust, and spatial squeeze—and sets out existing and planned actions across the £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, stakeholder engagement reforms, and the Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme. The government partially accepts key recommendations while defending its approach to engagement against the Committee's critique.
Key findings
- Government deployed £116m of the £360m Fund for 2026/27–2029/30; devolved £56m to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under Barnett formula; remaining allocation to be determined at future fiscal events.
- Defra has strengthened Regional Fisheries Groups, conducted 46 in-person engagement events over three years, and launched the Fishing Industry Social Survey (FISS, reaching 500+ fishers) and 'Mapping What Matters' platform for spatial input.
- Government rejects specific recommendation for new Regional Fisheries Management Forums, arguing existing engagement mechanisms (RFGs, working groups, annual consultations) are sufficient and that stakeholder fatigue is a concern.
- MMO will publish enforcement data (inspection rates and compliance outcomes) in Annual Report and Accounts from autumn 2026, with retrospective data for three prior years.
- Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme informed steer to The Crown Estate; Round 6 offshore wind leasing areas refined to exclude sectors important to fishing; government declines formal 'Sea Use Framework' timeline but commits to continued cross-departmental coordination.
Government position
Partially accepts. Government welcomes Committee scrutiny and commits to continuous improvement in stakeholder engagement, fund design, and transparency. However, it defends the depth of existing engagement (citing high consultation participation rates and structured port visits), rejects the proposal for additional Regional Fisheries Management Forums as duplicative and risking stakeholder fatigue, and declines to establish a dedicated 'Sea Use Coordination Board' or publish a formal Sea Use Framework timetable, preferring to work through existing MSPri governance. On enforcement, government accepts the need for transparency and commits to publishing inspection and compliance data. On fund allocation and technical measures implementation, government provides spending profiles and engagement summaries but does not provide year-by-year breakdowns for all four years as requested.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Marine Management Organisation (MMO), The Crown Estate, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Devolved Governments (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), Regional Fisheries Groups, Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs)
Notable line
“… we fully accept that our approach to stakeholder engagement must continue to evolve and improve based on the feedback from our customers and stakeholders.”
Key Quotes
“Defra welcomes the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's report, "Resetting the relationship with fishing communities," and is grateful to the Committee for its detailed consideration of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.”
“We are committed to working in partnership with fishers, the wider seafood sector and coastal communities to deliver a more resilient, prosperous and sustainable future for English and UK fisheries.”
“Successive Defra fisheries ministers, as well as officials in Defra and the MMO, have recognised that one of the most important requests from the catching sector following EU exit was that there should be more engagement with those affected by decisions.”
“Close sector working has, in fact, now been embedded in ways of working by Defra and the MMO. We have significantly strengthened and modernised our approach to stakeholder engagement in fisheries management and policy development.”
“We would not expect engagement with the whole fishing industry on every consultation for example, especially when many individual fishers need to go to sea to earn a living.”
“While there is an annual cycle to quota negotiations that reaches a climax in the autumn and early winter, work with the EU through the Specialised Committee on Fisheries (SCF) takes place throughout the year.”
“Overall, the Government feels the Committee's report paints an unduly negative picture of the state of relations with the sector and overlooks the depth and breadth of our engagement.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗