Peter Gibson MP has today (26.01.23) spoken in response to a Ministerial Statement in the House of Commons on the independent expert assessment of crustacean mortality in the north-east of England in 2021 and 2022.
Mr Gibson, expressed the concerns of people in the north-east regarding this issue, asking the Mark Spencer MP, Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, to outline what support has been offered to the fishermen affected by this issue. Further Mr Gibson called out those who have sought to turn this point into a political game.
Opposition MPs have treated this issue as a political football. The MP for Stockton North openly questioning the integrity of the independent panel, which included the chief scientist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as well as Sir Patrick Vallance the Government’s chief scientist. Further, the MP for Swansea West, derided the expertise of the panel before he even knew who they were. While they have played their political games, Mr Gibson and his Conservative colleagues in the north-east have listened to the scientific experts and sought to support those people affected by this incident.
Mr Spencer, assured Mr Gibson that a thorough evidence-based approach was taken to the investigation into this issue, but that one sole cause for the incident has not been identified. Further Mr Spencer outlined the support for fishing communities available through the £100 million Seafood Fund, which many businesses in the north-east have been bidding into.
Speaking, Mr Gibson said “It is a shame that Labour MPs have only sought to deride the experts who have been seeking to find the cause of this issue. This is an issue is of serious concern to people in the north-east, particularly to those whose livelihoods depend on a thriving aquatic environment. I will continue to engage productively on this issue alongside my Conservative colleagues, working with the Government to support those effected rather than sniping from the side lines.”
