Scottish Fishing Communities EU Trade 2021-01-21
2021-01-21
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The MP is assessing the impact of the UK-EU trade and co-operation agreement on local fishing industries in Scotland.
What assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK-EU trade and co-operation agreement on Scottish fishing communities?
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.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
High-quality seafood producers in Scotland are facing significant challenges due to customs clearance delays, threatening the survival of their businesses.
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?
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.
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Assessment & feedback
ongoing compensation offer
Working Daily
Holding Calls
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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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.
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?
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.
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Assessment & feedback
immediate action for rapid access
Iron Out Issues
Flow Continuing
Response accuracy