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Press and Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
Furious Scots fishing chief demands PM explains 'horror show' trade deal
A furious Scots fishing chief has urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to explain why he thinks the UK-EU trade deal is good for the industry. The recent deal means EU fishing vessels can keep their current level of access to key UK fishing grounds for a further 12 years. It removed at a stroke a key bargaining chip in annual negotiations over fishing quotas. Industry responses to the deal ranged from 'horror show' to 'betrayal'. The UK Government said the agreement could boost exports of Scottish salmon. And it tried to sweeten the blow with a £360 million fishing and coastal growth fund. But industry figures suggest this will be more than eclipsed by the loss of £6 billion-worth of fish to the EU over the next 12 years. According to the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF), the PM now owes an explanation to fishers he 'insulted and patronised' by saying the deal is good for them. In a letter to Sir Keir, SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald said: 'It was both insulting and patronising to hear you and your ministers tell us this was a good deal for fishing. 'If your government had bothered to understand anything about the fishing industry, you would know farmed salmon and wild capture fisheries are completely separate industries. 'You also told us, again patronisingly, that we should welcome the stability of a 12-year agreement on access. That you know what's best for us. Yet we have spent months telling your ministers that stability in terms of access to waters is the worst possible position for the UK.' SFF's CEO added: 'It was the instability of the EU's access to UK waters from 2026 that was our trump card. You have not only thrown it away but ripped it up into tiny pieces before doing so. 'Your reaction also showed a lack of understanding of the 2020 (Brexit) agreement and how international fisheries agreements work, as well as a misplaced lack of faith – that we don't share – in your negotiating teams to deliver better quota shares for the UK through annual negotiations.' On the coastal and growth fund, Ms Macdonald pointed out that Sir Keir's mandate only runs until 2029. She added: 'As no future government is obliged to meet commitments made by a previous one, you can in essence only commit to three years of funding – some £90m 'Contrast this to the £450-500m value of the fish the EU will take from our waters for the next 12 years – £6bn, not accounting for inflation or value added – and what little sugar coating you felt there might be in your funding package to sweeten the very bitter pill swiftly vanishes.'
The Herald Scotland
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Why should fishermen have a veto over our relationship with the EU?
It would also work towards 'an ambitious new UK-EU security pact to strengthen co-operation on the threats we face'. The latter course of action has been driven by external events, notably the Trump presidency. The former, about breaking down trade barriers, has started to be delivered when it would have been easier to back off. Indeed, apart from other considerations, this is a significant set-back to the narrative that the Starmer Government is pandering to the advances of Reform UK. Doing deals with Brussels was scarcely designed to win the approbation of Mr Farage. And sure enough, the cry from that quarter was 'surrender' and 'total capitulation'. However, Farage was not the only party leader to respond with opportunistic sloganising. Far from welcoming rapprochement with the EU (which he is supposed to be desperate to join), our First Minister went into familiar Rev I M Swinney mode to bemoan Scotland being 'an afterthought in the UK's decision-making' while the fishing industry had been 'surrendered'. Read more by Brian Wilson This did rather ignore the facts that, like the rest of the UK, Scottish businesses will export more easily to the EU, Scottish travellers will move more freely, Scottish shoppers will benefit from cheaper food, Scottish youths can look forward to exchange schemes, Scottish musicians will see touring restrictions lifted, and so on. Not perfect of course, but a pretty good start. And utterly different from what went before. Swinney's complaint appeared to have been based entirely on the predictable reaction of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation. On the face of it, this is an unlikely union. The Federation overwhelmingly represents Scotland's wealthiest and most powerful fishing interests and was vociferously pro-Brexit. Swinney, on the other hand, supposedly can't get enough of the EU. Never easily satisfied, the SFF was extremely disgruntled with what Brexit delivered them via Boris Johnson's negotiations – a 10 per cent increase in quota by 2026 to be followed by annual renegotiations. The Starmer deal has not taken anything away, except the pain of going through the same ritual annually. It might reasonably be assumed that Johnson and his Scottish colleagues did their best for the Buchan Brexiters and the fact they had to settle for the deal they got suggests that this will always be an issue on which the EU will hold a firm line. That will be the same next year and the year after. The logic of having given the SFF and its counterparts a veto over progress on the whole range of EU relationships would be that the same veto would kick in annually. That is not a price worth paying and the more you know about the interests that the SFF represents, the less inclination there is to believe their demands are appeasable or their objections should be decisive. Maybe Swinney should be more careful about where his ingrained instincts lead him. If the EU sees fishing rights as a bargaining chip with the UK, how much higher a price would it seek to extract if Scotland ever went knocking at the Brussels door with an application to join? The charge of 'surrender' is a self-inflicted contradiction of which Swinney should be regularly reminded. Keir Starmer with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday (Image: PA) Living in the Western Isles (which are surrounded by 22 per cent of Scotland's inshore waters if we want to get territorial about it), tends to create a different perspective on what the 'Scottish fishing industry' means. In fact, there really is no single industry but a whole range of sectors which, historically, have had deeply conflicting interests. The biggest threat to the west coast has long come from the north-east of Scotland, rather than Spanish or French interlopers. The north-east ports had the capital and catching power with precious little respect for lesser interests. In recent decades, this has been compounded by the market in licences and quotas, leading to the near demise of white and pelagic fishing in many communities. When the UK joined the Common Market, 98 per cent of catches in the Western Isles were in these two categories. That has now been entirely reversed and over 90 per cent by both catch and value come from shellfish. The damage done by Brexit – which the Scottish Fishermen's Federation campaigned so hard for – was to the markets on which the shellfish industry (and also salmon farmers) relied. Unsurprisingly therefore, the EU deal has been welcomed in these communities because it removes barriers to European markets. Meanwhile, to the east, almost half of all Scottish quota is owned by five families while a third of the Scottish catch is landed overseas, mainly in Norway. Neither statistic has been to the benefit of Scotland's fishing communities yet this is the hierarchy which the Scottish Fishermen's Federation exists to lobby for and further entrench. So which side are you on, Mr Swinney? Arguably, additional quota could be used to diversify or revive fishing in places that have seen decline and loss over recent decades. But what has happened? The additional quota secured by the Johnson government and devolved to Edinburgh to allocate has gone straight to those with existing catching power. When this allocation was announced last year, there was a vague reference to 'the longer-term potential for community quota allocation initiatives'. But why not now? If the Scottish Government had the slightest interest in addressing injustices, past and present, within the Scottish fishing industry, there are plenty places to start. Far easier to shout 'surrender' and, as usual, appeal to the politics of grievance. Brian Wilson is a former Labour Party politician. He was MP for Cunninghame North from 1987 until 2005 and served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2003.
Daily Record
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Scots fishermen given '12 years of certainty' thanks to UK Government deal with EU
Scotland's fishing industry has been handed "12 years of certainty and stability" thanks to a new trade deal between the UK and EU, Ian Murray has insisted. The Scottish Secretary said the "reset" of relations between London and Brussels would hand a major boost to all companies looking to sell their products on the continent. But the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) described the deal as a "horror show" as it means there will be no negotiations on EU access to UK waters for over a decade. The SNP, Reform UK and the Conservatives all criticised the deal and accused the UK Government of selling out fishermen. Scottish ports land more than 60 per cent of the fish caught offshore by UK boats. Murray, MP for Edinburgh South, disagreed with the SFF analysis. He said: "It gives 12 years of certainty and stability for the industry, it doesn't change any of the deal that was put in place in 2019, which is 25% more quotas for UK and Scottish trawlers and it gives wide access, of course to the new markets of the EU, in terms of pushing away all that red tape that was there before. 'Not one more fish will be taken out of Scottish waters by an EU trawler as part of this deal and that provides that stability and certainty.' The description of the deal as 'dreadful', the minister said, 'just doesn't pass water'. He added: 'I've been in business before and I would prefer 12 years of stability and security and certainty than an annual renegotiation that you may or may not win.' The deal has also angered the Scottish Government, which said it had not been consulted on the fishing aspect of it despite the issue being devolved. The UK Government asserts the agreement related to international trade, which is reserved to Westminster. Murray rejected the Scottish Government claims, saying: 'The Scottish Government has been fully informed all the way through this process. 'The Paymaster General who's been doing the negotiations has kept them fully informed, there was an inter-ministerial grouping last week, two weeks ago there was a full briefing, and they were kept up to date as the negotiations were running through.' The Scottish Government, Mr Murray added, 'have tied themselves in knots to set themselves against this deal', but he described it as 'good for consumers, it's good for business and it's good for Scotland's economy'. Scottish External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said the last three inter-ministerial groups which would have discussed fishing were cancelled, adding engagement with the devolved administration was not about consulting on the deal, but informing them of progress. 'There were meetings with Nick Thomas-Symonds who gave a read out, 'here's where we have got to', not 'what do you think about things? Do you agree to things? Would you seek changes to things?'' he said. The minister – who praised some aspects of the deal and the benefits it could have to Scotland – added the first the Scottish Government heard about the fisheries deal lasting for 12 years was when it was announced.
South Wales Guardian
19-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
UK Government has ‘surrendered' on fishing in EU deal, says Swinney
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 — 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.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What does the new Brexit deal mean for fishing?
Critics have branded Keir Starmer's fishing deal with the EU 'a horror show' for the industry after he granted European trawler fleets 12 years of access to UK waters. The roll over of the existing fisheries deal to 2038 will benefit the British fishing industry, the prime minister has claimed, by allowing the sale of fish caught in UK waters to be sold in the EU without veterinary checks, removing a costly post-Brexit barrier. Sir Keir has also unveiled a £360m fund to support fishing communities and modernise the British fishing fleet. He told reporters: "It's time to look forward. To move on from the stale old debates and political fights to find common sense, practical solutions which get the best for the British people.' But he faces another argument with the Scottish government after failing to consult them before signing his deal, which impacts Scottish fisheries. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) branded the UK-EU deal a "horror show" for the sector, while Scottish constitution secretary Angus Robertson blasted the UK for agreeing a fisheries deal in principle "without any recourse, involvement or approval of devolved administrations". However, government sources have briefed that UK hands were tied because the Windsor Framework Agreement struck last year by Rishi Sunak meant the UK would have to negotiate fishing rights at the same time as access to the energy market. The core elements remain unchanged from the Conservatives' post-Brexit fisheries deal, first implemented in 2020, and continues to allow EU fishermen access to UK waters. However, Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch claimed that the fishing agreement was three times longer than the government wanted. But Richard Kilpatrick, head of campaigns at thinktank European Movement UK, said the certainty provided by the longer timeframe will benefit the industry. 'This will open a serious food deal with the EU, which is of huge benefit to all of us - including the fishing industry,' he told the Independent. 'Even if it is not quite what they wanted, [the fisheries deal] gives the industry certainty, which can guide their investment decisions - much clearer than returning to it every few years." The EU is still Britain's top market for fish but since Brexit, the UK's seafood exports have dropped by 26 per cent to just 336,000 tonnes in 2023 compared to 454,000 in 2019. Both British and European fishermen working in UK waters are subject to quotas, meaning that they have an allocated limit of fish they can catch, called a 'catch share'. In the first post-Brexit fishing deal, agreed in 2020, the government wanted European fishermen to give up 80 per cent of their catch in British waters. In the end, however, the EU gave up just 25 per cent of its catch share. This meant that the UK's catch share increased by just under 10 per cent, according to think tank UK in a Changing Europe. Sir Keir announced that the UK has struck a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS) with the EU, a boon for British food exporters who have suffered since Brexit. The deal will 'make food and agricultural trade with the EU cheaper and easier', Sir Keir said, allowing exporters to sell 'great British burgers, shellfish, and other products' into the EU market. The SPS deal will also benefit UK consumers, by making it easier to stock EU food products and fresh produce in supermarkets. Food and agricultural trade has been tempestuous since Brexit, with layers of red-tape bureaucracy leading to reports of food rotting at the border and lack of fresh produce on UK shelves.
