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Secretary of State for Defra, Dr Thérèse Coffey has refused to meet with fishermen affected by mass crustacean deaths in North East England
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Dr Thérèse Coffey has refused to acknowledge the damage to fishermen and their families caused by the mass deaths of crustaceans in North East England.
Thousands of tonnes of dead shellfish were washed up on the shore from the North Sea on Teeside and the Yorkshire coast in October 2021. So far there has been no clear explanation for the deaths, but an independent panel appointed by the Defra Minister, indicated in January last, that the probable cause was “a novel pathogen”.
At a Parliamentary debate on Thursday this week (30 March), Labour MP, Alex Cunningham asked the Secretary what steps she was taking to determine the cause of the die-off of crustaceans and other sea life off the Teesside coast.
Dr Coffey replied: “Following a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs-led multi-agency investigation last year, I commissioned a further review, which reported in January, regarding the issue that affected crustaceans. It ruled out some of the prevailing theories, including the role of pyridine, and the view of the independent expert panel was that finding something to which we can attribute the cause with certainty is unlikely. However, we have continued to monitor this. In Hartlepool this month there have been anecdotal reports of sudden drops in the number of prawns and Norway lobster. The scale is unknown, but the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has undertaken precautionary sampling and testing for disease and pathogens.”
Alex Cunningham pushed the Secretary on what she was doing to ensure “our dead sea is brough back to life”. She answered:
“Following a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs-led multi-agency investigation last year, I commissioned a further review, which reported in January, regarding the issue that affected crustaceans. It ruled out some of the prevailing theories, including the role of pyridine, and the view of the independent expert panel was that finding something to which we can attribute the cause with certainty is unlikely. However, we have continued to monitor this. In Hartlepool this month there have been anecdotal reports of sudden drops in the number of prawns and Norway lobster. The scale is unknown, but the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has undertaken precautionary sampling and testing for disease and pathogens.”
Shadow Secretary of State, Labour’s Jim McMahon then questioned the Dr Coffey. He said:
I sat with fishers a few weeks ago, alongside my hon. Friends the Members for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham) and for Middlesbrough (Andy McDonald), to hear about the impact that the Teesside crustacean die-off has had on the livelihoods of local fishers. Let me tell the Secretary of State what they said:
“We’re finished. There’s nothing left to catch.”
“No-one listens. We’re just fishermen!”
“We’re not asking for a handout. We’re asking for a roadmap to get back on track.”
“Levelling up? They’ve levelled Teesside down”.
Working people—the grafters of this country and the foundation of our food security—are being ignored. It is wrong that public figures, instead of stepping up like true public servants, are acting like Houchen’s henchmen and pound-shop goons, closing down debate and legitimate challenge. Well, it will not work—this is not going away. Will the Secretary of State take a different course and meet Stan Rennie and the North East Fishing Collective with me to finally get to the bottom of this and give them the answers they deserve?”
Dr Coffey replied: “I am really disappointed by that. The shadow Secretary of State has basically impugned the integrity of the chief scientific adviser of DEFRA.
Alex Cunningham defended his Labour colleague against the accusation from Dr Coofey saying: “No he did not!”
Dr Coffey refused to stand down from her statement:
“The hon. Gentleman has just, with his words, done that, and I am really concerned about that. This issue is very important. That is why we undertook a further independent review. The chief scientific adviser of DEFRA brought in more people.
“The shadow Secretary of State talks about the people who are affected, and I understand that. The impact is such that the fishermen are having to go out to about 9 miles compared with the normal 2 to 3 miles. The inshore fisheries and conservation authority has reported to the Department that there is no particular change in the levels in that area. I am conscious that that may not be the impact for those individuals there. I have met other MPs in the area, and there are funding opportunities available, which might be for reinvestment in equipment to help them go further afield more regularly.”
The Shadow Secretary asked if Dr Coffey would meet with the fishermen to which she replied:
“I do not need to meet with them, because there has already been investigation into this, and the role is to make sure we do what we can to support the fishermen, including through the seafood fund and the fisheries and seafood scheme, which is now open.”
