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Form of work
SalaryThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
The objective of the Marine and Fisheries Directorate is to ensure our seas are cleaner, healthier, safer, more productive, and biologically diverse. This means protecting and improving the marine environment, both in the UK and internationally, and managing our diverse range of fisheries sustainably. Now that we have left the EU it provides the opportunity to improve how we manage our seas, whilst enabling marine, fisheries, and seafood businesses to thrive and develop.
We recruit by merit based on fair and open competition, we embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity, and we are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a disability confident scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
What will I be doing?
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing poses a significant threat to the sustainability of marine ecosystems, global food security, and the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations as a result of substantial economic losses. IUU fishing is also often associated with other illicit activities, such as the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people.
It is estimated that around one-fifth of all fish caught worldwide is obtained through IUU fishing, creating a black market worth $23 billion annually.
This role is in Defra's IUU Fishing policy team, which leads on tackling IUU fishing across UK Government, and aims to put a stop this issue globally.
The post holder will be responsible for the development and delivery of the UK's domestic policy to tackle IUU fishing. This will include the development of robust controls to prevent the potential for IUU fish entering the UK's food supply chain, as well as ensuring fish exports from the UK have been caught in line with the relevant IUU controls.
IUU fishing is a cross-cutting issue and will require the post holder to work extensively across the Marine and Fisheries Directorate in Defra, the Marine Management Organisation, wider Government departments, and the Devolved Administrations.
IUU fishing is also a prominent issue for many external stakeholders such as Parliament, industry and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Some of the activity that this role will be delivering includes:
- Support the delivery of the 'Fish Export Service', a digital system that facilitates UK exports of fish to the EU. This will involve working closely with the Marine Management Organisation (who own the system) and the Devolved Administrations to resolve policy issues.
- Develop and implement a UK 'Yellow/Red Carding Scheme' to prevent IUU derived fish entering the UK's supply chain. This will involve designing a process to support the UK in making evidence-based decisions to implement import bans on countries identified as non-cooperative in tackling IUU fishing.
- Develop and implement a process for maintaining the UK's 'IUU vessel list' - a public record of vessels found to have engaged in IUU fishing and banned from import and landing into the UK - to further manage the risk of IUU derived fish entering the UK's supply chain.
- Line management of 1 x HEO.
This list isn’t exhaustive but provides an overview of the activities the role will carry out.
