Modern Slavery Statement
About us
Cefas (The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) the ‘Authority’, is an Executive Agency of the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It is an applied science agency that primarily supports government decision making whilst extending its reach across the public sector, the EU and wider markets where possible in regard to marine and closely related environments.
Our work takes us from freshwater to the open ocean and includes both wild and farmed fish. Our influence and leadership span a wide spectrum of issues, including:
- climate change impacts and adaptation
- marine planning and environmental licensing
- sustainable fisheries management
- marine biodiversity and habitats
- fish and shellfish health and hygiene
- emergency response.
Our supply chains
Our supply chains are made up of a diverse range of international third-party providers, many of which are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). We procure a wide range of goods and services from vessel chartering and the conducting of surveys, to services such as sample collection and analysis, scientific equipment, sequencing, and mapping and modelling services.
Steps to Tackle Modern Slavery
Our modern slavery statement reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships. Cefas will not support or deal with any business or supplier knowingly involved in slavery or human trafficking.
The following steps that we have taken to reduce the risk of modern slavery in our business are:
- We have implemented PPN05/19 within our procurement processes and procedures including a modern slavery risk assessment tool
- We have reviewed our existing contracts and assessed risks, and where relevant, have agreed action plans with the relevant contract managers and suppliers
- In line with the rest of the Defra group our standard contractual terms and conditions used in our contracts and procurements have been updated to include clauses to monitor and protect against modern slavery risks
- Where relevant and proportionate to the contract, procurements now include modern slavery questions as part of the tender evaluation process
- We now require winning bidders for major procurements rated as medium or high risk to complete a Modern Slavery Risk Assessment (MSAT) questionnaire so that ongoing improvement can be monitored
Training and awareness
Our procurement team will annually undertake Government Commercial Function modern slavery awareness training and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) ethical procurement eLearning and test. We also use our internal communications channels such as the intranet to raise awareness of these issues to all staff.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31st March 2022.
Signed by Neil Hornby, Cefas Chief Executive.
Contact the Modern Slavery Helpline on Tel: 08000 121 700 or online at: www.modernslaveryhelpline.org.
