Export taskforce to tackle post-Brexit issues
A joint taskforce has been set up to deal with post-Brexit problems for the Scottish seafood industry, but it has already been overshadowed by friction between the UK and Scottish governments over how to handle the issue.
The group will be hosted by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland and chaired by UK Government Minister for Scotland, David Duguid. Industry representatives and representatives of the Scottish government have been invited to attend.
The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation has expressed disappointment that the Scottish Seafood Exports taskforce is to be led by the UK government rather than, as the industry had requested, as a joint initiative between the two governments.
Tavish Scott, Chief Executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, welcomed the announcement but noted: “We asked for this to be jointly led by Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary and DEFRA. Unfortunately the UK government has decided to chair the taskforce alone and through the Scotland Office rather than DEFRA.
“We have been asking for both governments to work together on the red tape, extra export costs we face every day and the uncertainty on delivery times for fish into Europe.We are at a loss to understand why this taskforce is not a joint effort, but nevertheless we will work constructively with our colleagues across seafood to offer export solutions which can help.”
Following the end of the Brexit transition period, seafood businesses throughout the UK have experienced difficulties with the paperwork now required for export to the European Union, IT system glitches, and a shortage of environmental health officers to sign off export health certificates.
David Duguid said, announcing the taskforce: “I am clear about the need for action. I want the taskforce to track the export process to identify issues stopping or delaying export, and areas of complexity that are not yet well understood.
“We want to seek a common understanding on the export process and address concerns by developing solutions to be taken forward by the UK government, Scottish government and EU.And we want to ensure there is effective communication with the industry to ensure traders are aware of issues and of solutions.”
The new task force will meet fortnightly. The Secretary of State has written to Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy andTourism at Holyrood, inviting him and officials to take part in the inaugural meeting this week.
The Scottish government has questioned reports that Westminster has provided extra resources to deal with the problems in Scotland, stressing that Food Standards Scotland has played the lead role in this regard and denying that the problems were due to lack of preparation by the Scottish government.
Help for Scottish exporters is being provided by Seafood Scotland in the form of an experienced logistics manager, Taylor Calon, to provide on-site support at Boulogne-sur-Mer, as well as two new appointments based in Scotland, Alastair Kennedy and Steve Galloway. Funded through the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Food and Drink’s joint Recovery Plan, the team will work closely with companies to help them better understand the new business practices to export to the EU and Northern Ireland, including the customs and export certification processes.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government’s new Seafood Producers Resilience Fund has opened for applications.The £6.45m scheme is aimed at fishers and small aquaculture businesses impacted by Covid-19 and Brexit.The fund is expected to benefit up to 1,000 vessels landing shellfish such as crab, lobster, langoustines and squid, and up to 75 aquaculture businesses that produce shellfish and table trout. Information on the scheme is available on the Scottish Government website.