Can the UK's lost fishing industry be recovered post Brexit?

[Carana]

Hmmm. The title seems potentially misleading, even if the bottom line may be correct. My understanding is that it's not that molluscs are banned, but rather that the need to purify them (from Class B waters) before exporting them makes it unfeasible.



EU bans the importing of live Class B bivalve molluscs from UK

by editor | Feb 3, 2021 | EU Fishing Industry, Latest News, UK Fishing Industry News
EU bans the importing of live Class B bive valve molluscs like mussels from UK

EU bans the importing of live Class B bivalve molluscs like mussels from UK

The European Union has closed the door on the import of live mussels, oysters, clams and cockles from the United Kingdom.

Exports of live bivalve molluscs that are not ready for human consumption are banned for the foreseeable future and this has in the majority caused the fishing and harvesting of these species to be shut down, putting an industry worth hundreds of millions of pounds in jeopardy.

Live bivalve molluscs that are landed from “Class A” waters – the very cleanest – can currently be transported from the UK to the EU without the need for purification beforehand. But most UK waters are not in that category.

The vast majority of molluscs come from “Class B” waters. These must be depurated before they are fit for human consumption. There are currently barriers in place by the EU that mean that live bivalve molluscs not depurated from Class B waters cannot be exported from third countries, including the UK, to the EU for depuration.

The ban originally applied only to wild-caught bivalve molluscs and was understood to have been caused by new EU animal health regulations which are due to come into force on 21 April. The previous regulations expired at the end of 2020, leaving a gap until the new ones come into force. Before 01 January this year, shellfish was normally purified or processed in the EU before it was distributed for human consumption to supermarkets and eateries.

But the shellfish sector learned this week that the ban now applies to all exports to the EU of live bivalve molluscs, not just wild-caught animals.

Since 01 January, UK firms have been able to send only pre-purified, ready-to-eat shellfish – accompanied by an export health certificate – to buyers in the EU’s 27 member states.

It was “expected” that the EU would change its rules on that date to allow impurified shellfish in from non-member states.

But it has emerged that the European Commission wrote to leading UK companies on 13 and 19 January to tell them the current arrangement would be in place indefinitely.

A government source confirmed that UK officials were aware of the EU’s stance, with a DEFRA spokesperson telling PoliticsHome:

“We will continue to raise the issue of live bivalve molluscs not ready for human consumption with the EU, to ensure the trade can continue securely.”

There are currently no seafood processors in the UK that is equipped to depurate large quantities of live bivalve molluscs and companies would have to invest up to £1 million in order to install such treatment plants which some say is not feasible. Another issue facing shellfish processors is that purified shellfish deteriorate quicker that impurified shellfish, making them more difficult to transport.

https://thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/eu-bans-the-importing-of-live-class-b-bivalve-molluscs-from-uk/

[Carana]

Re the failed Norway deal:

Jane Sandell(CE, UK Fisheries) - It's a black day.. it's a total disgrace that @DefraGovUK
haven't managed to retain the rights the UK has had for decades, never mind any brexit bonus...

Video clip from Sky:

https://twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1388063817624694785

[Carana]

Aug 2018: Farage saying, if the UK takes back control of its territorial fishing waters, and, if properly managed, the UK fishing industry could be worth £3-5b. It would also be an impetus to regenerating many coastal towns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oJsgdxiKZM

April 2021:

He's now off for an "American Comeback Tour", in support of FreedomWorks*:

https://twitter.com/FreedomWorks/status/1388183086207283201

* "FreedomWorks is a conservative and libertarian advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representatives. It was widely associated with the Tea Party movement[4][5][6][7] before firmly aligning with Donald Trump.[8] The Koch brothers have been a major source of the organization's funding.[7] "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreedomWorks

[Carana]

On the future for Grimsby.

A few points, while fishing was largely an emotive issue (as opposed to an economic one in terms of GDP), fish processing employ (ed) 2/3 of those in the industry.

https://www.cigionline.org/articles/fishing-after-brexit-grimsby-awaits-new-economic-reality?utm_source=google_ads&utm_medium=grant&gclid=CjwKCAjwm7mEBhBsEiwA_of-TG49r1USPwfIvDS81AzKkOrpwVigf_c3_x1SEKEoRs2dS_6KYwcVQRoCUq4QAvD_BwE

[Carana]

I can see that the EU catch in the UK's EEZ zone seems unfair at first glance.
https://www.statista.com/chart/23210/eez-surface-are-and-eu-uk-fishing/

But... it doesn't state which types of fish and therefore doesn't clarify whether Brits actually ate them.

[Carana]

From August 2019:

Snippet:

A myth has been propagated by Brexiteers. There is a single “British fishing industry” which will benefit from reclaiming the “60/70/80% of British fish” caught by EU boats.
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No, there isn’t. There are competing interests. English v Scottish; deep-sea fishing v inshore fishing; industrial v family-scale boats; fishers v processors. Some of the most vibrant, locally important and ecologically respectful parts of the UK industry have nothing to gain and everything to lose from Brexit.

They depend on shellfish, lobsters, crabs and langoustines (crayfish) that are quota-free or are overwhelmingly allocated to the UK. More than 80% is sold to the continent (mostly Spain and France). This trade has grown large because of the border-free EU single market.

Post-Brexit, trucks arriving in France with fish caught by scores of small boats will have to supply scores of “origin” and “health” documents – one for each boat and each catch. Traders will have to find UK local inspectors in working hours to verify the origin of the seafood and vets to certify its quality.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/31/myth-brexit-bonanza-uk-fishing-exposed-no-deal

What a totally predictable mess. ;(

[Venturi Swirl]

Carana, I can promise you people who voted Brexit don't give a shit about it (unless they are fishermen but who cares about them really, Brexiteers only pretended to care about the fishing industry IMO). 

[Carana]

Carana, I can promise you people who voted Brexit don't give a shit about it (unless they are fishermen but who cares about them really, Brexiteers only pretended to care about the fishing industry IMO).

I feel sorry that they believed so many of the lies and no one can help them fix the mess. It's not just the fisherman themselves, but all the little coastal communities that are also directly or indirectly affected.

NB: And I haven't started on cheese exports, yet.

[G-Unit]

I think the French are beyond the pale, suggesting that they could cut off electricity supplies to the Channel Islands over delayed fishing licences.

[Carana]

I think the French are beyond the pale, suggesting that they could cut off electricity supplies to the Channel Islands over delayed fishing licences.

I tend to agree that that was a bit OTT. Trying to fact check, it was the French Maritime Minister who apparently said that.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210506-flotilla-of-french-fishing-ships-sails-to-jersey-in-escalating-row-over-fishing-grounds
https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/conditions-de-peche-post-brexit-la-ministre-francaise-de-la-mer-menace-jersey-de-retorsion-20210504

However, it wasn't the French fishermen who voted for Brexit, yet they are also bearing the brunt of the UK restricting their own fishing rights.

[Carana]

Carana, I can promise you people who voted Brexit don't give a shit about it (unless they are fishermen but who cares about them really, Brexiteers only pretended to care about the fishing industry IMO).

But I've had quite a few (sometimes heated) discussions with people who voted for Brexit for whom it was a highly emotive issue (brave local fishermen with nasty furriners nicking all the fish). Now that it has indeed gone tits-up, the same people have now suddenly realised that fishing is only a tiny part of the UK economy (which I'd pointed out way back in 2016).

[Venturi Swirl]

But I've had quite a few (sometimes heated) discussions with people who voted for Brexit for whom it was a highly emotive issue (brave local fishermen with nasty furriners nicking all the fish). Now that it has indeed gone tits-up, the same people have now suddenly realised that fishing is only a tiny part of the UK economy (which I'd pointed out way back in 2016).

Haha, yes my mother was one of those passionate supporters of the fishermen, but her attitude now is very much "oh well, it's rather unfortunate but we couldn't expect everyone to come out of Brexit better off, never mind it will all work out in the long run, nothing to see here, ra ra ra"

[G-Unit]

I tend to agree that that was a bit OTT. Trying to fact check, it was the French Maritime Minister who apparently said that.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210506-flotilla-of-french-fishing-ships-sails-to-jersey-in-escalating-row-over-fishing-grounds
https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/conditions-de-peche-post-brexit-la-ministre-francaise-de-la-mer-menace-jersey-de-retorsion-20210504

However, it wasn't the French fishermen who voted for Brexit, yet they are also bearing the brunt of the UK restricting their own fishing rights.

From what I can gather the French fishermen were protesting about delays in issuing their fishing permits. According to Jersey the delays were due to the fishermen not supplying the correct information.

Whatever the truth, blockading another country's port is not something that fishermen have any right to do. Nor does a French Minister have any right to threaten that country's government.

Don Thompson, president of Jersey Fishermen's Association, said "In many parts of the world that would be seen as an act of war" and I agree with him.
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-to-send-two-royal-navy-boats-to-jersey-after-france-threatens-blockade-of-island-port-12297840

[Carana]

Haha, yes my mother was one of those passionate supporters of the fishermen, but her attitude now is very much "oh well, it's rather unfortunate but we couldn't expect everyone to come out of Brexit better off, never mind it will all work out in the long run, nothing to see here, ra ra ra"

LOL Exactly the same response my end.