Ex-MEP honoured

FORMER North-West MEP Chris Davies, from Greenfield, has won a top environmental award for his work to reform the Common Fisheries Policy.

The EU policy sets quotas to determine how much fish each member state is allowed to catch, as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions.

Judges said Mr Davies, who was in position from June, 1999, to July, 2014, “mobilised people from across parties in a coalition called Fish for the Future, and through hard work and deft political manoeuvring ensured that the reforms went through largely unscathed, with parliament voting to end discards and overfishing by 2015”.

Mr Davies, who won the Parliamentarian of the Year category, was also praised for his work on numerous committees at European Parliament, particularly as a member of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee.

The Green Ribbon Political Awards were hosted by Joan Walley MP, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee.