TELEVISION chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has taken his Fish Fight campaign to Europe.

The River Cottage chef went to the European Parliament in Brussels with a petition of 676,726 signatures calling for an end to fish discards.

His campaign, which started in the UK in January, is pushing for an end to the practice of dumping more than one million tonnes of dead fish every year in EU waters.

MEPs are currently working on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which is due to become law by next year.

Launching the European campaign on Tuesday Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall said: “Today is a massive day for the Fish Fight campaign, and for the mission to end the insanely wasteful practice of discarding thousands of tonnes of fine edible fish at sea.

“This scandalous activity, which fishermen, conservationists and the fish-eating public all abhor, is the final insult of a Common Fisheries Policy.”

The chef said the campaign was launched this year to help the British public find a voice on the issue.