Fishers’ fury at EU access demand

BREXIT UPDATE

SCOTTISH fishermen have been enraged by an EU demand for European trawlers to get continued access to British waters in return for tarifffree trade for their landings. The EU’s draft guidelines for the forthcoming trade talks said “reciprocal access to fishing waters and resources should be maintained”. But Scottish fishing groups call this “arrogant, absurd and nonsensical”. Bertie Armstrong, of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said there was no fairness in reciprocal access. He said: “This latest gambit must be rejected. When we leave the EU, we leave the Common Fisheries Policy and assume our rightful place at the table as a coastal state.

“Each year we will then decide who catches what, where and when. The days of the EU taking 60 per cent of our fish are coming to an end.”

David Duguid MP, one of several Scottish Conservatives elected on a wave of anti-EU sentiment in Scottish fishing communities, said the proposal was completely unacceptable and would be rejected.

The Banff and Buchan MP said: “The UK Government must strongly defend our fishermen and coastal communities across the country who voted to take back control of our waters.

“For the avoidance of doubt, that means that we come out of the Common Fisheries Policy immediately upon leaving the EU and assume our status as an independent coastal state. We must be in control of who comes into our waters, and how much they fish.”

A lot of Tory votes in Scotland ride on Brexit translating into UK control of coastal waters.

In her Brexit speech last Friday, May restated that the UK would be “leaving the Common Fisheries Policy” but said governments should “continue to work together” over stocks and access.