Elliot Morley Challenges Trout Farming Industry To Improve Its Competitiveness

The English Trout industry was encouraged today to take up the challenge of meeting the demands of both consumers and the modern marketplace by Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley.

Mr. Morley was speaking at the 'Future Strategies for the Farmed Trout Industry' seminar in London today, which brought together parties from the sector who discussed and examined the current state of the industry and the best means to move it forward.

Ideas on how to improve the competitiveness of the industry and the marketing of trout, developing new products and markets as well as how the industry is considered by consumers were discussed.

Mr. Morley said:

"The farmed trout industry is facing a number of problems such as low profitability, lack of collaboration between primary producers, stiff competition from other sectors.

"These problems must be tackled head-on as other industries have done and that means responding to competition and listening carefully to customers and consumers.

"It is an industry that makes a vital contribution to the rural economy. I want to see it prosper and this seminar is an opportunity for the industry to take stock, to consider how best to improve its competitiveness and expand the market for English trout."