Larry the Cat, the Prime Minister’s resident rat-catcher and First Pet at No 10 Downing Street, is likely to eat more sustainable fish than his master, British environmentalists acidly point out.
Describing the British Government’s fish buying standards as “an embarrassing failure”, several NGOs remark in a letter to PM David Cameron that leading pet food brands such as Whiskas have committed to avoiding endangered species and achieving full seafood sustainability, while the Government’s “preferred option” for fish buying is that only 60 percent of seafood bought for Central Government should have to meet sustainability standards.
The proposed standards would apply to fish served in Whitehall, prisons, the armed forces and government departments.
The letter to the Prime Minister was co-signed by the Marine Conservation Society, the Environmental Justice Foundation, The Shellfish Association, Sustain (an alliance of food and farming organisations) and Good Food for Our Money, a campaign for health and environmental standards for public sector food bought with taxpayers’ money.’
Unless the Government sets out to live up to a 100 percent sustainability standard, the letter pointed out, it fails to show leadership on an issue of acute sustainability concern and fares worse than seafood buying policies of leading household-name brands and influential food businesses such as Marks & Spencer, Sodexo and McDonald’s.
“It is shameful that Government is introducing seafood standards for some parts of the public sector which are weaker than those standards in Larry’s pet food. The Government must make it compulsory for all seafood which is bought by the taxpayer and served in public sector institutions to be proven to be sustainable”, said Alex Jackson, co-ordinator of the Good Food for Our Money Campaign.
Larry, 4, moved into No 10 Downing Street in mid-February in a campaign to deal with a growing rat problem in that prestigious dwelling.
On his own initiative, Larry extended his duties a few days later, when he lashed out at a female television reporter, giving her four deep scratches, in the Thatcher Room. He is described by No 10 staff as having a “very strong predatory drive”.