Human Rights at Sea has made public its independent project report and a fishing industry response into the non-EEA crew issue in Northern Ireland, and which has been linked to the ongoing investigations and drive to highlight the issue of slavery and trafficking across all UK industry sectors.
According to Human Rights at Sea, there is significant evidence in the public domain that slavery and trafficking occur in the fishing industry world-wide.
In relation to the UK fishing industry, recent inaugural research commissioned by Anglo-North Irish Fisheries Producer Organisation (ANIFPO) and carried out by Human Rights at Sea through its consultancy company found that there was little to no evidence of slavery and trafficking in the Northern Ireland fishing industry at first instance.
The significance of this independent research is that this is the first time in the UK that a fisheries Producer Organisation has voluntarily requested a complete review of its work relating to the employment of Non-EEA crews, against the current background of anti-slavery and trafficking investigations by UK constabulary forces.
The facts show that in the case of ANIFPO, there is significant care and attention paid to the PO’s corporate social responsibility policies and mechanisms in the employment of their non-EEA crews, and it highlights a new level of transparency by a core member of the UK fishing industry.
‘The recruitment of experienced and qualified non-EEA fishermen is critical to the fishing industry in Northern Ireland,’ commented Sea-Source/ANIFPO CEO Alan McCulla.
‘The welfare of all our crew is of paramount importance to the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers Organisation (ANIFPO). With all of this in mind we have been very fortunate indeed to work with Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) to ensure compliance with statutory regulations, as well as extending practical help when needed. HRAS is a highly professional charity, one that has not only been afraid to challenge us, but guide us through the process of drafting our Transparency in the Supply Chain Statement.’
