Fishing communities feel ‘betrayed’
COMMUNITIES around Mallaig and along the West Coast are said to have been left feeling betrayed after the draft terms of the Brexit transition deal revealed the UK government has agreed to abide by the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules for the whole of the transition period, which ends after December 2020.
It means Britain’s share of the total allowable catches – fixed for decades under the ‘relative stability’ quota arrangement – will still remain exactly the same for 21 months after the UK leaves the EU.
Lochaber SNP MSP Kate Forbes, whose Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency means she represents fishermen on both the west and east coasts of Scotland, told the Scottish Parliament the Tories had ‘betrayed’ the country’s fishermen after previously pledging to safeguard their interests in Brexit negotiations.
Speaking afterwards, she said: ‘It was only last week that the leader of the Scottish Tories and Environment Secretary promised to safeguard fishing interests, but now plead disappointment over the result.
‘Now the suggestion from Scottish Tory MPs and others is that the deal is done and we should move on and focus on 2020. I have to say I find the idea that we just shrug our shoulders and move on unforgiveable.’
But Mark Robertson, chairman of the Mallaig and NorthWest Fishermen’s Association, accused both the London and Edinburgh governments of mishandling the whole situation.
‘I am totally sick of the political game being played – coastal communities have been struggling for years.
‘What is the plan to make things better?’ he said this week.
‘I think we all feel let down by the Conservatives – a lot of people in this industry voted for Brexit and feel let down.
‘I think we’ve been led up the garden path.
‘But I think it’s also a bit rich of the SNP to be blasting the Tories over this as the SNP wants to keep us in Europe – or take us back in – which would mean staying in the CFP.
‘I’d personally like to know what the SNP’s plan is for coastal communities in that case – they’ve had 10 years and they’ve done nothing to make things better. Look at how Mallaig and the surrounding area has fared – it’s like we’ve been forgotten about.’
Mr Robertson added: ‘We’re under no illusions. The fishing industry is being let down by both sides. We’re happy knowing we are leaving the CFP in 2020 but what will we be coming out into?’