Seafish has produced a Fishing Vessel Hygiene Checklist to ensure fishing vessels comply with minimum hygiene requirements.
The checklist has been produced in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), industry and enforcement representatives following advice from the FSA that the UK is required by European law to perform a basic hygiene inspection of all UK fishing vessels.
The checklist will inform skippers what the hygiene check involves; assure skippers that the hygiene requirements are very basic, and that their vessel is likely to comply already; and provide practical guidance to enforcement officers who might not be familiar with fishing vessels.
The checklist is laid out in an easy-to-use form to encourage skippers to perform their own checks. It also contains guidance and additional legal information so that inspecting officers can cross-check items on the list with regulatory requirements.
Ivan Bartolo of the Seafish Legislation Department said: “Fishing vessels are different from land-based establishments, and the checklist contains a set of hygiene criteria to reflect this and make the job easier for skippers and inspectors alike.”
