Threat of fishing wars
ANO-DEAL Brexit could lead to clashes on the high seas as hundreds of fishermen from mainland Europe encroach into British waters, a secret government dossier warns.
MPs forced the UK Government to release the so-called Yellowhammer document before Parliament was prorogued on Tuesday.
Up to 282 foreign fishing vessels
could enter illegally, or already be fishing in UK waters on day one of a no-deal Brexit, the planners warn.
The government insists Yellowhammer is a “worst case scenario”. Labour claims the no-deal Brexit plans are more like “emergency planning for a war or natural disaster”.
In the past ministers have promised British fishermen that we would “take control of our waters from day one”. But Yellowhammer says the invasion of fishing boats “is likely to cause anger and frustration in the UK catching sector, which could lead to both clashes between fishing vessels and an increase in non-compliance in the domestic fleet”.
Jim Portus, chief executive of the South Western Fish Producer Organisation, insisted that British fishermen would not resort to violence.
“I don’t for one minute anticipate any hostile activity because fishermen aren’t like that. They are brothers in arms and wouldn’t want to put anyone in danger.”
He said EU27 authorities had sent guidance to fishermen advising them to obey UK law.
Yellowhammer warns that illegal fishing, smuggling, illegal migration, violent disputes or blockading of ports could put enforcement capabilities at risk. Mr Portus said he believed that between the Navy, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Border Force there were adequate resources to police UK waters.
ANO-DEAL Brexit could reduce our ability to prevent and control disease outbreaks in livestock, the controversial Operation Yellowhammer document warns.
MPs forced the government to release details of its Brexit planning before Parliament was prorogued on Tuesday.
The Yellowhammer document warns that any disruption to the supply of veterinary medicines could have detrimental impacts for animal health and welfare, the environment, and wider food safety/availability and diseases which can directly impact human health.
Industry stockpiling will not be able to match the 4-12 weeks’ worth of stockpiling which took place in March 2019.
Air freight capacity and the special import scheme is not a financially
viable mitigation to fully close risks associated with all UK veterinary medicine availability issues due to border disruption, experts at Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said.
No-deal Brexit could also leave certain fresh food in short supply.
Although there will not be an overall shortage of food, availability and choice will be reduced and prices will rise, which could impact vulnerable groups.
“The UK growing season will have come to an end and the agri-food supply chain will be under increased pressure at this time of year, due to preparations for Christmas, which is the busiest time of year for food retailers,” Yellowhammer says.
“There is a risk that panic buying will cause or exacerbate food supply disruption.”
Melanie Squires, regional director of the South West NFU, said: “The NFU has said all along that a disorderly Brexit would cause enormous problems for the agricultural industry in terms of trade and welfare standards, taxes on imports and exports, immigration policy and additional red tape.
“The Yellowhammer documents that have recently been released and the potential disruption they describe only serve to underline this.
“What farming needs is certainty and reassurance, which is why on this week’s Back British Farming Day, with just 50 days to go until Brexit, the NFU posed the government 50 questions that it needs to answer – and any EU exit must be smooth and orderly to allow our farm businesses to plan and respond to make sure they have a viable and sustainable future. We are navigating turbulent political waters and face an array of possible Brexit outcomes.
“We want a future where our food and farming sector, that’s worth £1.3 billion to the region’s economy – is able to thrive and take advantage of the opportunities Brexit will bring, not one where our ability to produce food is undermined.”
Former Tory Attorney General Dominic Grieve said: “I am pleased they are taking contingency plans, but it is still the most extraordinary document.
“This is a government which, in peacetime, is content on inflicting on the British public the level of disruption which is set out in the Yellowhammer papers.”