Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Scottish Fishing Communities: EU Trade

Thursday 21 January 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The trade and co-operation agreement establishes tariff-free trade on fisheries exports to the EU and also establishes a five-and-a-half-year multiannual agreement on access and sharing arrangements for quota.
  • We have announced a 23 million fund to help exporters who struggled with the paperwork in the initial weeks.
  • DFDS, a key distributor, has resumed groupage systems and transports 30 to 50 lorries of fish daily to the EU market.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Neil Gray SNP
Scotland Brexit
Context

The MP is assessing the impact of the UK-EU trade and co-operation agreement on local fishing industries in Scotland.

Question

What assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK-EU trade and co-operation agreement on Scottish fishing communities?

Answer from George Eustice

The trade and co-operation agreement establishes tariff-free trade on fisheries exports to the EU and also establishes a five-and-a-half-year multiannual agreement on access and sharing arrangements for quota. Under the agreement, there are year-on-year transfers of fishing opportunities from EU fleets to the UK fleet. Overall, the EU relinquished 25% of the quota it had previously been allowed to catch in UK waters.

Answered
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Q2 Stuart McDonald SNP
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

High-quality seafood producers in Scotland are facing significant challenges due to customs clearance delays, threatening the survival of their businesses.

Question

Scotland's high-quality seafood producers are warning that they are going out of business. They cannot have their products sitting in lorry parks in Kent waiting for customs clearance. Those products have to reach market fresh. What are the Government doing to change procedures and technology to ensure an entire industry is not destroyed? Will there be ongoing compensation offered to businesses until this is sorted, or was that offer a one-off?

Answer from George Eustice

We have announced a £23 million fund to help exporters who struggled with the paperwork in the initial weeks. We work daily with the fishing sector to tackle issues they encounter, holding twice-weekly stakeholder calls and personal conversations with organisations such as DFDS.

Partly answered

Not addressed: ongoing compensation offer

How: Working Daily, Holding Calls

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Q3 Neil Gray SNP
Scotland Brexit
Context

The MP is concerned that the UK government's actions have negatively impacted Scotland's fishing communities and questions the adequacy of current measures to ensure the survival of local seafood businesses.

Question

This Government have followed up their sell-out of Scotland's fishing communities with this £23 million insult. The industry is losing more than four times that every day. It is losing customers with it. And this was the one industry, we were told, that would benefit from Brexit. Why will the Government not act now, act quickly, eat some humble pie and re-establish barrier-free rapid access to the European market for this industry, so it can finally supply its customers again?

Answer from George Eustice

With support given to iron out issues, goods flow is continuing. DFDS, a key distributor, has resumed groupage systems and transports 30 to 50 lorries of fish daily to the EU market.

Partly answered

Not addressed: immediate action for rapid access

How: Iron Out Issues, Flow Continuing

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