EU ruined our fishing

PAUL Nuttall’s views can sometime be unacceptable, but he’s right to urge the prime minister to stand up to EU bullying, (‘Fishing for EU answers,’ Viewpoints, March 9).

Our fishing industry has been decimated since Ted Heath glibly signed away our fishing rights of sensible management of fish stocks, only to allow virtual destruction of our fishing grounds by EU industrial fishing methods.

The imposition of EU law forcing tons of edible fish to be thrown back into the sea to maintain quotas and prices high is also morally indefensible.

Likewise the Common Agricultural Policy mainly benefits French farmers at the cost of UK farming, which was the most efficient in Europe before we joined the EU, and now prices are kept unnecessarily higher.

As for rightly condemning Trump for risking world economic stability with tariffs creating a trade war, the EU should have a good look at their own protectionist 12,400 tariffs, which stifle open world trade at the cost to EU consumers and benefit of large corporations. Instead of ratcheting up tensions with his usual knee-jerk pronouncements, threatening titfor-tat tariffs on American goods, EU President Mr Juncker would be well advised to look for ways to ameliorate the situation.

But then considering the Brexit negotiations, he’s more inclined to pile stupidity on stupidity (his words, not mine!)