UK Government has ‘surrendered' on fishing in EU deal, says Swinney

South Wales Guardian

19-05-2025

Mr Swinney spoke out after the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) branded the UK-EU deal, which could give European fishing boats access to UK waters for another 12 years, a 'horror show' for the sector.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted afterwards the deal is 'good for fishing' and the 'people of Scotland will benefit'.
But the First Minister said the 'fishing industry looks as if it's been surrendered by the United Kingdom Government as part of its negotiations'.
The Scottish Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson had already blasted the UK for agreeing a fisheries deal in principle 'without any recourse, involvement or approval of devolved administrations'.
Mr Swinney said the deal showed Scotland is 'an afterthought in the UK Government's decision-making'.
The SNP leader added: 'It's always been like this about fishing, because Scotland's fishing interests have been negotiated away by successive Labour and Conservative governments, and Keir Starmer's Government is just another example of that.'
While fishing is devolved to Scotland, Mr Swinney insisted his Government had not had sight of 'what's been talked about or what's been put on the table by the UK Government'.
His comments came after it emerged European fishing vessels could be given a further 12 years of access to British waters as part of the Prime Minister's 'reset' of relationships with Brussels.
A late-night deal was struck with the European Union ahead of Monday's major summit with Brussels chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.
There will be no change to current access to fish for coastal communities and no reduction in the British quota or increase in the quota the EU is allowed to catch, it is understood.
But the deal means European vessels will enjoy the same post-Brexit access they have had until 2038, 12 years after the current arrangement expires.
Sir Keir said the new agreement would make it easier for fishermen to sell their catch to Europe.
He told a press conference: 'It is incredibly important for fish, because over 70% of our seafood goes into the European market.
'So, for the first time under this arrangement, our fishing communities are able to sell more easily into the European market.'
He said having a 12-year extension provided 'stability' instead of having the uncertainty of successive year-on-year negotiations.
In a later statement, he added: 'Selling iconic Scottish products like salmon – the UK's biggest food export – has become needlessly difficult. Red tape meant a £75 million drop in exports to the EU from 2019-2023.
'So, this agreement will tear down those barriers to trade, making it much easier to sell fantastic Scottish goods to EU markets.'
But Mr Swinney said: 'I'm very concerned about the lengthening of the agreement around fisheries, which seems to have been extended for another 12 years.
Elspeth Macdonald, Chief Executive of the SFF, reinforces that Scotland remains the backbone of the UK's fishing industry, landing the vast majority of our catch from our own waters.#SaveScottishFisheries #FairDealNow #UKFishing #ScotlandFishing pic.twitter.com/KseuxnvJpP
— SFF (@sff_uk) May 18, 2025
'And that, of course, was the direct opposite of what was promised by Brexit. So, once again, the fishing communities of Scotland have suffered as a consequence of negotiations by the United Kingdom Government.'
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'This deal improves access to the EU market for Scottish fish, it cuts energy costs for business and could create tens of thousands of jobs in the North Sea, it strengthens security ties, gives Scottish business access to the 150 billion euro EU defence fund, it cuts queues at passport control and it gives Scots under 30 access to a youth experience scheme to travel and work in the EU.
'While John Swinney, Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch talk down this deal, the British Retail Consortium, Marks and Spencer, Scottish Salmon, and Octopus Energy are just some of the organisations who have backed it.'
Scottish Conservative fishing spokesperson Tim Eagle said: 'This agreement is an absolute disaster for the Scottish fishing industry.
'Sir Keir Starmer and the UK Labour Government have not just surrendered to the European Union's demands, they have totally capitulated to them.'
The Tory MSP said: 'The deal is a shameful betrayal of our fishermen and will go down like a lead balloon in our coastal communities across Scotland. It is even worse than they feared.
'It proves that Sir Keir Starmer does not care about the industry and has no interest in defending the jobs and livelihoods it supports.'
SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald was also critical, saying: 'This deal is a horror show for Scottish fishermen, far worse than Boris Johnson's botched Brexit agreement.
'It is clear that Sir Keir Starmer made the whole deal on the backs of our fishermen and coastal communities, granting EU vessels 12 years of continuous access to UK waters at the last minute in order secure other objectives.
'This highlights the total indifference of the British political establishment to the interests of our fishing sector, with Sir Keir becoming the third prime minister after Edward Heath and (Boris) Johnson to betray the industry.'
She added that 'giving away a national asset such as our rich and healthy fishing grounds for no discernible benefit' was a 'disgrace'.
However, Phil Taylor, director of the marine conservation charity Open Seas, said: 'The debate about the length of the fishing deal and the amount of access granted to EU boats is missing a key point, since some of the biggest UK fishing companies are EU owned, while a number of Scottish boats are still landing more than half their catch directly to the continent.
'The question politicians need to resolve is how this deal will actually deliver for our seas, and what conditions will be put on any fishing businesses accessing the public resource that is the sea – regardless of where they are from.'