Council report urges fishermen to be patient
THE impact of Brexit on Devon’s fishing industry will not be fully seen until the restrictions associated with the response to the coronavirus pandemic are relaxed, councillors have been told.
Devon County Council’s full council heard that there were potential economic impacts and also opportunities for Devon as a result of the Brexit trade deal and changes to the fishing quota and catch regimes.
But Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Cabinet member for economy and skills, said it was too soon to ascertain the scale of the impact upon the sector and whether impacts are temporary, or likely to be longer-lasting.
He added it was apparent that the fishing and fish processing sectors in the UK and the European Union have been seriously impacted by the effects of the Covid pandemic, and it was difficult to unpack the impacts upon the sector from post-Brexit trade friction and the far-reaching drop-off in demand due to the pandemic.
Cllr Gilbert said that the easiest thing people could do now was to ‘eat Devon’s fish’, adding: “I urge everyone to help the fisherman by eating their fish.”
In his report, he added: “In the immediate period after December 31, port operations seem to be working more smoothly at Channel ports after the Covid-19 disruption from December 23, but there is some initial disruption to some goods heading to Northern Ireland and the continent, as a result of new paperwork and local reports of difficulties exporting some fish and shellfish due to delays in animal health regulations being implemented.
“UK fisheries products now face customs and health checks upon EU entry. Post-Brexit customs checks have since January 2021 been holding up seafood exports, as entire trailers need to be checked.
“In addition, multiple technical issues such as bar codes not being recognised by border control as well as IT issues have prevented loads leaving French ports in teething troubles of the new system.
“It has emerged since the UK fully left the EU and the Brexit transition period that third countries, such as the UK, have to purify their shellfish catch domestically before it is sanctioned for export, despite no change to UK standards, or water quality subsequent to December 31, 2020.
“The process adds significant costs and delays, with some British businesses impacted warning that this will cause issues of viability.”
Cllr Gilbert added: “During 2020 and in 2021 to date, demand for fish has fluctuated significantly and is generally down due to the pandemic’s impact on closed fish and chip shops and restaurants, both in the UK and in other countries.
“As and when full reopenings take place, demand is likely to change and potentially increase, and the fishing industry is operating at approximately 15% of normal because of weather, time of year, Covid and the obvious hurdles of additional excess paperwork not being fully understood.
“There are potential economic impacts and also opportunities for Devon from the current trade friction and changes to the fishing quota and catch regimes. We are as yet unable to ascertain the scale of impact upon the sector and whether impacts are temporary, or likely to be longer lasting including any future uptick in UK demand.”