Western Morning News (Saturday)
Fishermen losing out in poor EU deal say MPs
WESTCOUNTRY MPs have warned fishermen in the region have gained little from the Brexit trade deal negotiated with the European Union.
Despite claims from the Prime Minister that Britain has now taken back control of its seas following Brexit, many in the fishing industry feel let down. And in Scotland MPs have demanded fishermen be compensated for seafood export delays.
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross called for payments as Environment Secretary and Camborne and Redruth MP George Eustice told the House of Commons that the issue was down to “teething problems”.
However Mr Ross said financial compensation is “clearly needed by our fishermen right across the country” as the environment secretary promised the Government is “working hard to address these problems” surrounding the export of Scottish seafood to the EU.
His comments came after Boris Johnson told a committee of MPs that fishing businesses would be compensated for what he described as “temporary frustrations” on Wednesday.
Later, in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) told Mr Eustice that there are concerns that fishermen will “benefit little” from the EU trade agreement reached.
Speaking in a debate on Thursday he said: “(George Eustice) will be aware that fishermen in Cornwall have been very disappointed with the agreement reached on quota with the EU and the fact that their vessels can still fish in our six to 12-mile limit.
“There is real concern that our inshore fleet, which makes up the vast majority of vessels in my constituency, will benefit little from this deal.
“So what reassurances can (Mr Eustice) give the fishermen of Mevagissey and Newquay and across Cornwall that the Government will be working with our in-shore fleet to make sure that they can benefit as much as possible from this new deal and that they will be in a good position to increase their share of the quota when we come to the end of the adjustment period?”
Mr Eustice responded: “We left the London Fisheries Convention and gave notice under that because it is our intention that the six to 12-mile zone should be reserved predominantly for our own fishermen and at the end of the five-and-a-half years, that is exactly what we will be seeking to achieve.”
Conservative MP for Totnes Anthony Mangnall said fishermen in his constituency were also unhappy.
He warned they “are now being faced with catch certificates, health certificates, export documentation, all of which is extensive red tape and comes with a cost.” And he went on: “So can I ask the Secretary of State what his department is doing to reform that system to improve it?”
Mr Eustice replied: “The bureaucracy we are having to fill in is obviously designed by the EU and in some cases on many of these export health certificates the form that they have is a very generic WTO form that hasn’t had a great deal of thought given to it.
“We think that paperwork could be improved, but obviously we would need the EU to agree to engage in that and for now we have to work with the paperwork that they designate.”
Conservative MP Sheryll Murray said one of her South East Cornwall constituents found the high cost of border control charges, export health certificates and the need for a fiscal representative in France posed “a real threat to his business.”