“The Food Network for Ethical Trade (FNET) welcomes this important report on recruitment practices within the tuna industry. We believe meaningful, lasting change on systemic human rights challenges is only possible through collaboration. Supporting this study reflects our commitment to collective action and shared learning. We look forward to working with our members alongside industry bodies, governments, and the private sector to address recruitment risks, and turn these insights into practical action — supporting the advancement of fairer, safer recruitment practices not only in the tuna sector, but across global food supply chains.”
Labour issues and human rights violations have become the subject of rising concern in seafood supply chains. Where migrant labour is utilised, these risks are often heightened.
A consortium* of seafood groups across the tuna processing supply chain funded a study that seeks to provide insights on how to enhance responsible recruitment practices, and operationalise the Employer Pays Principle, by using examples from the global tuna processing sector.
The study focuses on five key countries in the global tuna processing sector. Impactt, commissioned by the consortium to conduct this study, used interviews, surveys, and a regulatory review of those regions, to better understand the challenges, and identify opportunities for action. The activities focused on migrant labour used in tuna processing plants and included inputs from external stakeholders as well as industry members. These inputs were used to tailor recommendations for future actions from a buyer, supplier, and industry association perspective.
The consortium represents multiple layers within the supply chains and will use the report to develop or refine their individual approaches and action plans to further promote responsible recruitment in their processing operations.
At the same time, the group recognises the value of making these findings accessible to others working to ensure the responsible recruitment of migrant labour. A public webinar outlining the findings will be hosted by Impactt at 9 am BST on Tuesday 13th May – register to join the webinar here.
Key findings from the report included:
- Lack of sufficient commercial or regulatory pressure or incentives for actors to commit sufficient resources for full implementation
- Challenges for industry associations to establish enforceable standards or commitments around responsible recruitment
- Complexities in seafood supply chains increase the risks, as well as hindering buyers from achieving sufficient oversight and leverage to encourage suppliers to adopt responsible recruitment practices.
- Challenges in understanding the “true” cost of recruitment, which is critical to ensuring that responsible recruitment is embedded as a cost of doing business.
Opportunities for:
- industry associations to act as convenors to facilitate dialogue, foster collaboration, and collective engagement to address responsible recruitment
- buyers can provide incentives for suppliers to implement employer pays principles, support capacity building and embed responsible recruitment principles into their procurement practices
- suppliers can collaborate with buyers to estimate fair recruitment costs, streamline supply chains, partner with zero-fee recruitment agencies, enforce contractual safeguards, and actively monitor recruitment practices
- all groups to increase information sharing to increase transparency into supplier recruitment practices.
The full report can be accessed here and the summary report here
*The consortium included the British Retail Consortium, Food Network for Ethical Trade, Global Tuna Alliance, Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship, Seafood Ethics Action Alliance and members.
Please register to join us for this upcoming webinar on May 13, 2025 09:00 AM London (90 minutes) where we share the key learnings from this study and their applicability to other industries beyond seafood.
