Tag Archives: Brexit
Brexit: how it started, how it’s going
The European Parliament votes Tuesday on the EU’s divorce settlement with Britain, the 1,246-page Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The deal averted tariffs or quotas on almost all goods produced in the UK and EU. The new standards and attendant bureaucracy are having an impact on trade. UK exports of live mussels, cockles, oysters and other shellfish are no longer allowed to enter the EU. Most come from Scotland, and the industry says it is staring at collapse. Britain’s government, however, says the coronavirus pandemic has been the bigger factor affecting trade since the Brexit deal took effect. >click to read< 07:32
Cornish fisherman can’t swim on Brexit, Coronavirus. and 50 years at sea
Coronavirus for the shellfish export capital of the UK Newquay, hit pretty hard, Phil Trebilcock said, but thanks to a wave of ‘buy local’ sentiment, they were kept going. “It has not been too bad for us, because what this Covid has done is a lot of people, I’ll give the public their due, have been supporting locals. Brexit, for Phil, has not hit as hard as other fishermen, some of whom accused the government of turning its back on them with the withdrawal agreement. After starting out in 1964, aged just ten, he caught his first mackerel and crabs to sell at Newquay Harbour. photos, click to read<15:40
Brexit Betrayal: In Newlyn, anger at red tape and the falling price of fish.
Michael Bosustow been awake for about 30 hours and needs to prepare for another couple of days at sea. But he can still summon the energy to condemn the Conservative party for striking a deal with the EU that he, like many in this tight-knit fishing town, regards as a betrayal.,,, Further down the quay, Brackan Pearce, 28, is restocking his trawler. He travelled up the Thames as part of a flotilla of fishing boats demanding control of British waters during the referendum campaign in 2016. Now he feels betrayed. “They lied to us. They’ve used us to get Brexit. Without the boats going up the Thames, Brexit would never have happened,” he says from the deck of his boat. >click to read< 08:46
The ‘disastrous’ Brexit deal: Fishermen lament Brexit betrayal and ageing crews
This year was meant to mark the rebirth of British fishing. After years of decline under the Common Fisheries Policy, fishermen overwhelmingly backed Brexit as a means of regaining control of the waters and rebuilding the country’s fleets. It was a tantalising glimpse of a new dawn, but instead the deal struck between the Government and the EU,,, The combination of red tape and a lack of opportunities at sea means many young people are now turning their back on the industry. Ruinous as it has been, many fishermen say they were struggling to attract young people due to domestic red tape long before the Brexit negotiations neared their conclusion. >click to read< 10:41
Oysterman’s thread is a must read – ‘Brexit deal is almost the same as a no deal’
The introduction of new checks and paperwork since the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31 has caused disruption to exports of fresh fish and seafood to the EU. But a thread from Tom Haward, an eighth generation oysterman, is damning about how Brexit has crippled his business and the industry in general. He lays the blame on the UK Government for the situation he finds himself in. 1. “A number of people are suggesting myself and others in the shellfish industry have been lazy, stupid (or both) for not being ‘prepared’ for the carnage Brexit has caused on the shellfish export industry. If we predicted this, why weren’t we ready? >click to read< 11:47
Kirkella, the fish and chip ship stranded in Brexit
The vessel, considered the “pride” of British distant water fishing, frequented the Arctic seas of Greenland and Norway, its main fishing ground until last January, when the divorce between London and Brussels was consummated. Before Brexit, the Kirkella operated under European Union agreements with third countries, but now that the United Kingdom is an independent coastal state, the trawler must wait for the British Executive to seal bilateral agreements. Meanwhile, the boat is barely staying afloat thanks to a partial license to fish for cod in the waters of the Barents Arctic Sea, where it has been fishing since the beginning of February,,, >click to read< 12:01
FROTH THE FIZZ!
For those who haven’t seen this yet, two P’rtleveners, Felix Griffiths and Ross Sloan have been working on ‘FROTH THE FIZZ’ – a comic style series of stories about the British fishing industry. In my eyes, Brexit should be about buying British, supporting our local business’ and communities, not half the shit we were told in the leave campaign. How on earth did we think Brexit would work without this?! >photos, click to read< 07:28
Bridlington Lobster exporter forced to close after 60 years, 1 month after Brexit
Family-run Baron Shellfish, which buys lobsters from fishermen in the local area before exporting them to Europe, said it would sell up to five tonnes of shellfish to punters in Spain, Belgium and Italy per week before the UK left the union. But since catch certificates, health checks and customs declarations were introduced at the start of this year, there have been severe delays to deliveries prompting European buyers to reject them. “All we have had is bullshit from the government, promises that haven’t been kept. I am winding up the business while I still have enough to pay redundancy to my staff. >click to read< 11:11
Betrayal – Brexit fishing deal ‘fell short’ of industry expectations, government admits
The deal signed by Boris Johnson with the EU on fishing after Brexit fell “short” of industry expectations,,, Speaking at a House of Lords committee on Wednesday George Eustice told peers that “it’s fair to say that we didn’t get everything that we wanted on fishing”. Boris Johnson previously hailed his fishing agreement as a success, but fishermen accused the prime minister of “sacrificing” them in trade talks and having “totally capitulated”. >click to read< 09:24
A Raw Deal for UK Fishermen – Out of the potential winners and losers of Brexit, no one actually wins
Exporters and inshore fishers in particular are bearing the brunt whilst also leaving the biggest UK fish market looking like a ghost town. Brexit was sold to the public by politicians and parts of the fishing industry as a‘sea of opportunity’; a message that captured the media narrative. There were promises of thousands of tonnes of additional quota, exclusive access to the 6 – 12nm territorial seas, and the taking back control of the 12 – 200nm limit while excluding EU vessels unless they fished on UK terms. Beyond that, fishers were told trade would not be impacted and the EU market they so heavily rely on would still be available on the same terms. As recent events have shown, this hasn’t happened and the government’s broken commitments are exposed. >click to read< 11:47
New Whitby lobster boat launches on choppy post-Brexit waters
“Our Henry” is owned by business partners Terry Pearson and Luke Russell. Mr Pearson is the merchant for the local shellfishing fleet, while Mr Russell will skipper the catamaran, the first new boat to join the Whitby fleet for a decade, along with two other crew and a trainee. Delivered a couple of weeks ago the potter has been undergoing sea trials, but should make its first fishing trip later this week. “Then with Covid, the build was delayed, and it has only just arrived when we are in the middle of the winter fishery, “Then of course there has been Brexit,,, >click to read< 16:31
Brexit has left us all at sea – even the fishing industry
Teething troubles? Bumps in the road? Pull the other one, Mr Gove. As the daily news from fishing crews, farmers, road hauliers, wine merchants, musicians and thousands of businesses up and down the land, not least in Northern Ireland, confirms, Brexit tier 3 is indeed a disaster. Far from having teething troubles that disappear, many of these businesses are having their commercial teeth extracted. It becomes increasingly manifest by the day that this is a Conservative act of conscious economic self-harm which, in an ideal world, would be rescinded before things get a lot worse. >click to read< 08:50
Post-Brexit trade: Fish prices ‘collapsing’ in Scotland as red tape hits UK exports to EU
Post-Brexit red tape is causing some UK exports to the EU to grind to a halt, industry bodies have warned, as the new rules that came into force at New Year begin to bite. One fish exporter said on Monday that prices were “collapsing” in the Scottish port of Peterhead, amid reports that seafood prices fell by as much as 80% due to “export blockages”. >click to read< 08:55
As Rockall Simmers, McConalogue’s Department Accused of “Chaotic” Response to Brexit Permits
Only a fraction of the entire Irish fleet has been given permits to continued access to British waters – albeit with a reduced quota as a result of Brexit. “Rockall is not the only issue – the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine had no plan B,” Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation chief executive Patrick Murphy has said. Mr Murphy described the past week as “chaotic”, and said he was shocked at how unprepared the department was. Mr McConalogue’s department has confirmed that only 141 vessels out of the full list of 1900 Irish vessel have been given temporary permits to date. >click to read< 09:31
‘We experienced a hard border’ – post Brexit fishing tensions surface
A fishing vessel from the deep south arrived to unload its catch in a port at the other end of the island this weekend. According to representatives of Northern Ireland’s fishing sector, the example of the Rachel Jay from Skibbereen, Co Cork, arriving into Lisahally, Co Derry, is an example of “where there is a will, there is a way” response to Brexit. And they are calling for the Irish Government to reciprocate the gesture. >click to read< 09:15
Scottish seafood left to rot with exports tangled in Brexit bureaucracy, exports could grind to a halt
The Scottish Seafood Association said exports to the EU are being hindered by “red tape” delays in Scotland and France. It claims as many as 25 trucks were backlogged for clearance due to IT problems in Boulogne on Tuesday. Jimmy Buchan, chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, said: “Trucks laden with fresh seafood are being held up in central Scotland due to problems with customs barcodes and lack of veterinary service capacity. >click to read< 12:25
Businessman who backed Brexit says eel business has been sold down river
A businessman who backed Brexit and appeared in a UKIP video says exiting the EU could see his £2m a year elver farming business go under and he regrets voting ‘Leave’. UK Glass Eels, whose base at Over on the edge of the Forest of Dean, was part-funded by the EU, has links with Severn and Wye Smokery in Westbury-on-Severn and is supplied by elver fishermen on the Severn and in Wales. The 40-year-old sustainable fishery business, which won funding from the European Fisheries Fund to move to its current base between Highnam and Gloucester in 2012, >click to read< 13:29
Boris Johnson’s Brexit Deal Under Fire From British Fishermen, More
Boris Johnson’s Brexit negotiations are being heavily criticised by UK fishermen who are faced with the possibility of going out of business, thanks to the terms of the Brexit fishing deal,,, >click to read<
Fishermen brand Brexit trade deal a ‘betrayal’ – new year may not bring the hoped for Brexit bounty for Scottish fishermen as industry leaders 
express their misgivings. >click to read<
EU crumbles as Irish fishermen turn on allies. ‘Macron got what HE wanted!’ – Irish fishermen have turned on their European allies over their English Channel access and quota allowances, arguing France got what they demanded in the post-Brexit trade deal with the UK. >click to read< 17:00
In nearly 50 years as a fisherman Arnold Locker has seen it all – ‘crews will be worse off in 2021 than before they left the EU’
The outcome of the Brexit trade deal has left him and many others bitterly disappointed. Mr Locker, chairman of Locker Trawlers in Whitby, and former chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, believes Environment Secretary George Eustice should resign. He says this time the betrayal of fishing communities is worse, because politicians like Mr Eustice, Michael Gove and Prime Minister Boris Johnson “knew exactly what they were doing when they devastated coastal communities.”>click to read< 11:43
Cornish fishermen betrayed by Boris’ Brexit deal – What Changes for French Fishermen?
The Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation shares its reaction to the UK’s Brexit trade deal. On Tuesday 29th December members of the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO) met to discuss the long-awaited Brexit trade deal. Despite the UK Government hailing the deal as a success, Cornish fishermen have been left feeling betrayed by Boris Johnson, as it now appears key promises made to the industry have been broken. Paul Trebilcock, CEO of the CFPO – representing the interests of hundreds of fishermen across Cornwall – explains why his members have been left reeling from the 
deal,, >click to read< BREXIT DEAL: What Changes for French Fishermen – Following intense negotiations, an agreement was finally reached with the United Kingdom, which preserves the activity of French and European fishermen in British waters. The agreement specifies that France has until June 1, 2026 to gradually achieve a 25% reduction in its fishing quotas in British waters. France has obtained preservation of access within 6/12 miles as well as in the exclusive economic zone until that date. This also concerns species that are not under quotas, such as sea bass, squid or scallops. >click to read< 10:46
Brexit: What does the trade deal mean for fisheries? All the Fish related bits in the Brexit deal to read at your leisure: Articles 1-19
Contrary to many dire predictions, we finally have a Brexit trade deal, and with it an agreement on how the UK and EU will manage shared fisheries into the future. The fishing industry has experienced an unusually high profile since the Brexit referendum, but this reached dizzy heights over the last few months of 2020, as disagreements over fishing quotas and access were said to be the final barrier to a wider agreement. So now that the deal has been landed, how does the catch measure up? >click to read< All the Fish related bits in the Brexit deal to read at your leisure: Articles 1-19. – Article FISH.1: Sovereign rights of coastal States exercised by the Parties. The Parties affirm that sovereign rights of coastal States exercised by the Parties for the purpose of exploring, exploiting,,, >click to read< 08:40
Brexit fishing outrage – UK Fishing Industry Disappointed By Brexit Deal
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier on Thursday that Britain had agreed a “reasonable” five-and-half-year transition period with the EU over fisheries, longer than the three years it wanted but shorter than the 14 years the EU had originally asked for. “The industry will be bitterly disappointed that there is not more of definitive break,” Barrie Deas, NFFO, >click to read< 09:40
Brexit fishing outrage as UK will never be FULLY in control of its waters like Norway – Britain will never be fully in control of its waters like Norway, not even after the transition period agreed in the Brexit trade deal, it has emerged. Despite Downing Street calling a “mutual compromise”, it does seem Mr Johnson capitulated on one of the most contentious areas of the talks: fishing rights. >click to read<
Britain and E.U. Reach Landmark Deal on Brexit – The fishing industry reacts
Britain and the European Union struck a hard-fought trade agreement on Thursday, settling a bitter divorce that stretched over more than four years and setting the terms for a post-Brexit future as close neighbors living apart. The deal, which must be ratified by the British and European Parliaments, came together in Brussels after 11 months of grinding negotiations, culminating in a last-minute haggle over fishing rights that stretched into Christmas Eve, just a week before a year-end deadline. >click to read< 14:33
Brexit. The fishing industry reacts – not a sellout but not a Christmas bonanza either: – The UK fleet felt they had everything to gain and almost nothing to lose so how have they done? The picture is mixed and everyone is using the caveat of let’s see the detail,,, >click to read<
Monkfish Price Tumble in Scotland Shows Pain of French Shutdown
At the Peterhead fishing port in Scotland, prices for haddock and monkfish were inverted on Monday, skewed by a closed border with France and a ticking clock that threatened to render some of its catch worthless. The price gyrations mark the latest setback for the U.K. fishing industry, With French borders closed since Sunday, thousands of pounds of seafood could be left to rot in lorries that would normally speed through the Port of Dover to Europe. “This is the most important sales week of the year and it’s been caught up in a hurricane,” said Jimmy Buchan, chief executive officer of the Scottish Seafood Association. “We’ve got Brexit, we’ve got Covid and now on the back of Covid we’ve got this further restriction.” >click to read< 10:34
Shell shocked: ‘Lobster capital’ braces for Brexit
More than 80% of crabs and lobsters from East Yorkshire are sold in Europe. On a typically blustery morning on Bridlington Harbour the lobster lorry arrives from France. Live shellfish exporters in England have warned a wave of form-filling, certification and tariffs will hit the industry in 2021. “The cost of everything will rise with all the extra tariffs businesses will have to pay on goods going in both directions,” according to Jo Ackers, “We are looking at extra tariffs of 8% on lobster and 7.5% on crab with EU countries having similar import tariffs. It is the fishermen and the end of line customers that would get hit with these costs in the long term,” she said. >click to read< 20:11
UK fishermen mock ‘laughable’ EU demand to extend Common Fisheries Policy for a year
In a statement this morning, Ms MacDonald made clear EU vessels landed 10 times more fish from UK waters than UK vessels do from theirs. It comes EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier stressed a trade deal between the UK and European Union was still possible Talks were extended on Sunday after Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen agreed to continue the process despite major differences still remaining. For months, the talks have been deadlocked on the issues of fishing rights which have plagued fishing chiefs as well as state aid and the level playing field. >click to read< 11:59
No legal basis for the UK’s distant-waters vessels to fish cod in Norwegian waters from the end of this year
Britains latest state-of-the-art trawler, the £52 million Kirkella, has been laid up in Hull as the Government failed to negotiate new fishing quotas with Norway in time for Brexit Day on 1 January. Instead of ‘taking back control’ with the revival of the UK’s fishing industry, trawlermen in Hull face losing their jobs and the country faces the demise of the distant-waters fishing industry. >click to read< 11:05
Efforts to Break Deadlock Continue, Kilmore Quay Outlines its Fears – Last-ditch post-Brexit trade talks to resume between EU, UK
As efforts continue to agree a final Brexit deal, two Wexford fishermen have outlined on RTÉ Radio Countrywide how devastating loss of access to British waters will be. “Brexit is going to affect every port and harbour where fishing is the lifeblood of communities,” Will Bates (43), a third-generation fisherman,, Video, >click to read< 12:57
Last-ditch post-Brexit trade talks to resume between EU, UK – European Union and British negotiators Sunday entered what is potentially the final attempt to strike a deal over future trade ties, even though “significant differences remain” on three essential points. With less than four weeks remaining before the Jan. 1 cutoff day, >click to read<
If Brexit is to mean anything we must end fraud of EU fishing boats registering as British
Last week, with surprisingly little fanfare given the years of high-profile politicking over our territorial waters, the Fisheries Bill was written into UK Law. The long awaited Bill slipped quietly into legislation,,, The fact that the fishing industry was the first industry to be sold out by Labour and Conservative governments as we entered the European Economic Community means, I firmly believe, it must be the first industry to be returned to the status demanded by full sovereignty. I watched hours of debate, as the Bill passed through the commons onto the House of Lords, in which more attention was given to marine conservation and sustainability than to how this bill will affect the United Kingdom’s fishing industry and coastal communities. >click to read< 15:25
