Fishermen left reeling as EU trade collapses
SCOTLAND’S food and drink sector has blamed Brexit chaos for a massive 83 per cent drop in fish and shellfish exports to Europe.
Industry bosses also claim the UK’s departure from the EU has led to a massive decline in the moving of meat and dairy products.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that overall EU-bound consignments for January 2021 were down by 63 per cent on the previous year.
The seafood sector was forced to plead with the UK Government for emergency funding after long delays following the end of the Brexit transition period cost the industry £1million a day.
A lack of exporting opportunities has forced businesses to tie up their boats and left staff unable to work.
In January, Boris Johnson announced a £23million compensation fund allowing firms affected by the chaos to claim up to £100,000, while schemes have been put in place to help firms adapt.
Yesterday, a taskforce met to begin discussions on the medium to long-term issues faced by the UK fishing sector. This includes how to spend Government funding.
Latest ONS figures for the UK show that Scotland’s largest food export category, fish and shellfish, was down 83 per cent in January compared with 2020.
There was also a 59 per cent drop in consignments for the meat sector, while dairy also suffered a fall.
James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, said: ‘There is no sugar-coating these statistics, they are grim. We know Covid has reduced demand and there was stockpiling of products before the end of the year.
‘However, right at the heart of this trade collapse is Brexit and the creation of huge, new, non-tariff trade barriers with our biggest export market.
‘The crash in UK trade has not been seen in sales to non-EU markets, despite it being a global pandemic.
‘A fall of over 80 per cent in what is the UK’s biggest food export has brought a crisis to a sector reeling from the worst trading year in memory.’