£1M BOAT... AND FISH HE CAN’T SELL
A SCOTS fisherman who spent £1million on a new boat can no longer sell his catch because it has been stuck in transit due to Brexit delays.
Alistair Roberts, 64, spent two years having the trawler built to add to his River Clyde fleet, which catches langoustines and prawns to sell in Europe.
But three weeks after the vessel went to sea, export hold-ups caused by Brexit regulations meant he could not get his produce out of the UK.
The exports of fish and shellfish have been stuck in transit for weeks and had gone rotten by the time they arrived on the continent.
Now Mr Roberts, who owns Brora Fishing Company which operates from Greenock, Renfrewshire, has backed industry calls for a six-month grace period to allow firms to get used to the new requirements.
He said: ‘We can’t get stock out of the country. Our boat was the first built on the Clyde for 18 years and is insured for £1million, about as much as it cost to build.
‘Normally our stock would come off the boat fresh and be in France within 24 hours. But this week alone our prices have gone down 20 per cent because our processor is now having to freeze the stock because they can’t export it.’
The delays have been caused by fishermen needing catch certificates and export health certificates. The new paperwork is taking longer than expected to be processed.
Mr Roberts added: ‘The procedure at the hubs should take 45 minutes but it is taking up to five hours to clear one lorry.
‘I have a crew of nine men who are all self-employed. Fishermen get paid wages depending on their share of the catch and if we are not fishing, then no one gets any money.’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called the delays ‘shameful and disgraceful’ and accused the UK Government of failing to resolve the issue.
Last week, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson pleading for more support.
In response, the UK Government said it gave the Scottish Government £200million to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition and is looking at ways to help those affected by what Mr Johnson called ‘temporary issues’.
‘Prices have gone down 20 per cent’