Tag Archives: Alistair Carmichael
Hundreds of Scots fisherman face losing jobs as new rules brand them too fat to fish
UK Government regulations which are about to come into force will mean seafarers must have a medical certificate showing a body mass index (BMI) of under 35 – or risk being banned from their own trawlers. Crewmen fear they will not be able to go to sea because of the draconian requirements. Furious fishermen branded the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) rules “discrimination”. Bob Dunsire, 49, who has been skippering prawn boats out of Pittenweem, Fife, since he was a teenager, said he can barely believe what is being done to the industry. He said: “I know I don’t have a BMI under 35 and I’m furious at these new medical requirements. They could see me out of my job and put my entire crew out of work, too. Photos, >click to read< 08:00
UK response to visa rule concerns branded an ‘insult’ to Scottish fishermen
New rules came into force last week affecting the visas most commonly used by non-UK fishermen. The industry heavily criticised the move, saying it could lead to businesses in the Highlands and islands closing down. Now Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, has raised these concerns directly with the Home Office and says the UK Government’s decision is “economically illiterate, politically inept and morally indefensible”. However, new rules came into force last week banning anyone on transit visas from carrying out work on fishing boats, and requiring them to get a skilled workers visa instead. >click to read< 12:25
Boris accused of ‘throwing the fishing industry under a trawler’ as huge Brexit row erupts
Former Prime Minister Mr Johnson had previously insisted “taking back control” of fishing was one of the prizes of ending Britain’s 47-year membership to the EU. But more than three years on from that agreement being signed, furious UK fisherman feel “betrayed” by the Government over the post-Brexit deal they have been dealt – with many struggling to even fish in their own coastal waters. “The UK Government has absolutely thrown the fishing industry under a trawler.” Those in fishing ports, in the South West of England, Cornwall, Devon, around the Scottish coasts and islands – they can see it for themselves. There is a widespread feeling of everything from disappointment to betrayal. >click to read< 09:33
Brexit: Deep and growing anger – “I cannot think of a single red line that was not crossed.”
Those were the words put to me by a senior figure in the fishing industry last week, a sentiment shared by fishermen across the country who feel betrayed by Boris Johnson. Indeed I cannot remember a time when I saw every sector of the fishing industry this despondent about the future. That is why this morning we are – together – challenging the government to change course. A year or two ago, you couldn’t find a harbour in the country that didn’t have a Tory politician standing on the deck of a trawler posing for pictures. >click to read< Brexit: Fishing industry faces ‘existential threat’ over export costs – Seafood firms have seen export costs “treble” in the six months following Brexit, leading MPs to warn that the industry now faces an “existential threat”. >click to read< 08:40
