Better fishing deal ‘will be set in law’

MICHAEL Gove has pledged to introduce a new legal obligation on ministers to win a better deal for UK fishermen after Brexit.

The Environment Secretary announced an amendment to the Fisheries Bill to give them a fairer share of fishing rights.

It would legally oblige the secretary of state to secure more when negotiating a future fishing deal than the UK receives now under the Common Fisheries Policy.

On average, between 2012 and 2016, other EU member states’ vessels landed about 760,000 tonnes of fish (£540million revenue) annually caught in UK waters. While UK vessels landed about 90,000 tonnes of fish (£110million revenue) from other member states’ waters. Mr Gove also announced £37.2million of extra funding to boost the UK fishing industry during the transition period. This would pay for better technology to improve safety and reduce environmental impact, and better port infrastructure. It will also be spent on boosting coastal communities and helping the sector adjust to the post-Brexit world.

This is in addition to the current European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) contribution, which is roughly £32million a year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said.

The Government has already committed to match EMFF funding with about £60million – so the extra funding will support more projects and the sector will benefit by a total of £320m, Defra said.

Mr Gove said: ‘We will secure a fairer share of fishing opportunities for the whole of the UK fishing industry as we leave the EU. The amendment will give legal weight to this commitment.’