EU takes action on sand eel fishing ban in British waters

THE European Union has begun legal action against the UK over a ban on catching sand eels in British waters in a fresh post-brexit fishing dispute.

In January, Britain announced a ban on catching sand eels on Dogger Bank in the North Sea to protect the area’s populations of puffins and kittiwakes, which eat the fish.

The move caused outrage among Danish and Swedish fishermen, whose governments lobbied Eurocrats to take action against Britain. Danish officials argued the measure is discrimination against its fishermen because they take 99 per cent of the sand eels caught, which are used to produce fish oil and pig feed, and it could cost their vessels up to €18 million a year.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, the EU’S fisheries commissioner, said the ban “impinges on the basic commitments” of the Brexit trade deal, as he warned ministers to drop the embargo.

“The UK’S permanent closure of the sand eel fishery deprives EU vessels from fishing opportunities, but also impinges on basic commitments under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA),” Mr Sinkevičius said after opening dispute proceedings against Britain.

The row over the sand eel ban is the first time the EU has triggered the dispute mechanism in the post-brexit trade deal. The Government said its ban is fully compliant with the post-brexit agreement, which manages cross-channel fishing opportunities, and applied to both EU and UK vessels.

A spokesman said: “We took the decision to close our North Sea waters to all sand eel fishing to protect seabirds. This closure is fully compliant with our obligations under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and applies equally to UK and non-uk vessels.

“This was a necessary step to safeguard vulnerable seabird populations, including species like kittiwakes who are at serious risk, and builds on domestic measures already in place – the UK has not allocated any quota to fish sand eel to UK vessels in three years.”

If a solution is not brokered within the 30 days of talks, Brussels could request an independent arbitration panel to judge whether the measures are in line with the deal.

Under the deal, Britain agreed to give EU vessels access to its waters, but is allowed to restrict access as part of conservation measures. If there is deemed to be a breach, the EU could slap punitive tariffs on UK exports.

Kirsten Carter, head of marine policy at the RSPB, said: “Ending the industrial fishing of sand eels has thrown a lifeline to the UK’S globally important seabird colonies by securing a vital food source.”