New face as environment minister in cabinet reshuffle
MCS welcomes the appointment today of Owen Paterson MP as the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Mr Paterson has served the conservative party before as a shadow environment minister, and has expressed his desire to see the Common Fisheries Policy reformed in favour of more localised management by fishing nations.
Mr Paterson assumes the role at a critical time, with a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a lasting legacy of marine stewardship. We look forward to a productive working relationship, building on his interest in Fishery Policy, and we'll be looking to him to place the protection of our marine environment - in particular the delay of the formal designation of 127 Marine Conservation Zones in the England - at the top of his department’s priorities.
MCS Senior Policy Officer, Melissa Moore says, “We look forward to meeting Mr Paterson at the earliest opportunity to make sure the marine environment gets a better deal, and to find out his commitment level to environment matters beneath the waves”.
