FISH MARKET IS A ‘GHOST TOWN’
Seafood industry in broadside at Brexit
EUROPE’S biggest fish market is like a “ghost town” because of the devastating impact of Brexit, a food industry boss warned.
A stark image of the vast site at Peterhead shows the effect of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s trade deal after leaving the EU, it was claimed.
It comes a day after Scots seafood exporters parked a convoy of lorries in the heart of Westminster where the UK Government faced a massive backlash.
James Withers, chief executive of Scottish Food and Drink, said the image was taken yesterday about 5am when the market was under way. “This is a crisis,” he said. “It was warned about for weeks, and now we’re going through a live test for trade with the EU and it’s going wrong.
“Systems in the UK and France aren’t talking to each other, and frankly it’s a myth any red tape has been cut. The exact opposite is happening.”
Yesterday, about 50 trucks arrived in London angry at the disruption to exports.
One truck was emblazoned with “Brexit Carnage”, while another said “Incompetent Government Destroying Shellfish Industry”, as they parked just metres from Downing Street.
Scotland’s fishing industry was told to expect a “sea of opportunity” after leaving the EU. Senior figures in the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation promoted the slogan despite deep fears for the supply chain, inshore fishers and exporters.
Within two weeks of officially leaving with a trade deal, federation chief Elspeth Macdonald was accusing the Prime Minister of giving them the “worst of both worlds”.
Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, claimed on Sunday that the delays to fishing exports were just “teething problems”.