The Danish Fishermen’s Association has welcomed the appointment of Rasmus Prehn as the country’s new Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Rasmus Prehn.
The appointment comes at a tumultuous point, as the industry sees itself as under threat on all sides from a government that seeks to impose increasingly strict regulation, the looming unknown quantity of the approaching Brexit, and the problems resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rasmus Prehn replaces Mogens Jensen who resigned last week in the wake of the mink cull scandal and the ensuing protests that took place in Copenhagen this weekend as farmers and fishermen congregated in the capital to make their feelings known.
‘We are very much looking forward to the co-operation with the new Minister. There are plenty of tasks ahead, and fishing faces challenges on several fronts. So we hope for a close and good collaboration with the new minister so that we can work together to secure the future of the fishery,’ said Svend-Erik Andersen, chairman of the Danish Fishermen’s Association.
He commented that the industry hopes to see the new Minister remove what he described as unnecessary regulation that stands in the way of the industry’s development of the fishing industry.
‘At the same time, Danish fisheries are ready to develop fishing in an even more sustainable direction,’ he said.
‘80% of Danish landings are sustainability certified, and CO2 emissions are down by 60% since the beginning of the 90s. We are ready to take the next steps and we believe that we can go a long way with the new Minister, especially if we can at the weed out the many idiotic rules,’ Svend-Erik Andersen said.
‘Fishing is an important part of Denmark and Danish culture, not least in North Jutland. I know that the new Minister is fully aware of this, and I hope and believe that he will take that understanding into the ministry. And that is exactly what is needed,’ he said.
