Frustrated fishermen condemn ‘shambles’

Fishing industry figures said they are suffering from huge uncertainty over Brexit as they urged MPS to deliver on the vote to the leave the EU without further delay.

Buyers at Peterhead fish market in Aberdeenshire yesterday described the process as a “shambles” and said politicians had managed the situation “appallingly”.

The North-east port sees the highest volume of fish landings per year in the UK.

Fish processors, along with fishermen, have been a strong pro-brexit voice but they have differing views on the best way forward from the current stalemate.

Andrew Charles, of Aberdeen-based processors J Charles, said: “I think it’s a shambles. We can’t plan ahead and we face huge uncertainty.

The latest government figures show UK vessels landed 724,000 tonnes of fish at home and abroad in 2017, with a value of £980 million.

Robert Milne, of Peterhead-based processor J H Milne, said the industry feeling on what was to be Brexit Day was one of frustration.

He said: “We’re not getting what we voted for. There’s nothing being delivered at the moment.”

At the fish market, there were concerns that another referendum could be on the cards, with one buyer saying it was an “absolute certainty”.

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) had hoped to see the UK fully leave the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) by 2020.