Prawns Working Group

ETI Experimental Projects

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Introduction to Project

The Prawns Working Group was set up in response to members’ concerns about the social impact of the prawn / shrimp farming and fishing industry in India. The environmental impact of prawn/ shrimp fishing and farming is well documented but the social impact has been less widely publicised. Member’s suspected problems and established a group to assess the feasibility of a collaborative project, including the partner network of NGO and trade union members to investigate working conditions.

Project aims and objectives

• The Working Group had an initial aim to work through the chain of prawn production in India, with the intention to identify code violations in factories, farms and boats and as far as could be identified further down the chain. The aim was then at each stage to seek to find solutions to the violation.

Key achievements and challenges:

The group commissioned desk research to identify key sources of information and learn more about the working conditions with in the industry in different regions of India. It mapped the supply chains of corporate members and relationships of NGO and trade union support, to identify which region(s) were the most logical to work in and reviewed existing research in to the industry. Arising from this research, the group concluded that at that time members’ efforts would be best focused on direct individual action with their suppliers and partners and that a collaborative project should not proceed.

Who was involved?

ETI members:
Companies: Anchor Seafoods, Lyons Seafoods, M&S, Somerfield, Fisher Foods (ceased trading mid-way)
Trade unions: IUF
NGOs: Save the Children, Traidcraft

For further information contact:

eti@eti.org.uk

 

 

Project documents:

1. [no project docs available]

Relevant links:

Save the Children:
www.savethechildren.org.uk

Traidcraft:
www.traidcraft.org.uk

IUF:
www.iuf.org