Fishing industry being destroyed

Peasblossom ? I think you have got it in one!

We must all do our bit to support the industry and eat more fish.

I'm happy to eat Macron mackerel.

Well said Peasblossom so many on here say ‘well the fishermen have only themselves to blame, they voted for it’. It’s great to have a knowledgeable post put into the mix.

Plus, I believe i read in the short term, the fishing industries who are struggling because of red tape (not all export to Europe) are to be compensated by Rishi Sunak.

What on earth did we do to deserve such an utter idiot

Jacob Rees-Mogg - "The key is we've got our fish back. They are now British fish, & they're better & happier fish for it."

I sell fish
But I was selfish
Now I wish
I could sell
My shellfish

Most of the fishermen believed the lies they were fed on Brexit and voted to leave. This is only the start.

Thing is, the fishing folk voted for jam and got shit. All very well saying they will be much better off in years to come. This maybe one of those pie in the sky promises this bunch haven’t delivered. Tell that to those whose fish and businesses are rotting, and the processors in the U.K. whose work is being taken to Denmark.

Peasblossom I don't think for a minute that the fishermen want to go back in the EU. I think they will accept this deal and the promise of improvements to come because of the dissatisfaction with the Common Fisheries Policy and the way they perceive they have been treated by the EU.

It does seem to me though that the other countries' fishing fleets are not in the same situation, and that their representatives in Brussels managed to get good deals for them. So maybe its the effectiveness of our negotiators for the last 50 years, and the willingness of the UK government to de-prioritise fishing for all that time, that they should be complaining about. Not the EU.

So Peasblossom the next bit is not aimed at you. Its for all the baying voices about ooohhh, at last someone who knows what they're talking about - I'm not exactly a stranger to the fishing industry, ladies. Stop being so childish.

Thank you for giving us an insider view of the fishing industry Peaseblossom. It is appreciated. But can you answer me two questions. First, is it true that many fishermen sold their fishing rights to EU countries. And how do you feel about the fact that Nigel Farage was supposed to represent the fishing industry in the European Parliament but hardly ever turned up to do so, thereby creating a situation where fishermen would be dissatisfied with their quotas etc and would support his leave campaign.

I don’t think it was a matter of believing lies barmyoldbat. Yes they did have hopes for a different future but that was because what was happening in the now was so bad.

As Alegrias says it was the cumulatiion of 50 years of poor negotiation, governments who did not value the fishing industry and who did not listen to concerns. Not just one government, not just one party.

We were in the EU. Those who wanted us to remain should have listened when problems were voiced. It wasn’t lies that drove fishermen to vote leave, but the truth of their everyday lives.

I don’t know about Nigel Farage and his role Maybee so I can’t comment on that other than to say I think it would have been the role of Government to negotiate. I’m not sure he could do anything other than express a view. But it wouldn’t surprise me to learn he did nothing.

Some fishermen who could no longer make a living due to poor catches sold their rights to EU conglomerates. That’s what businesses do when they can’t turn a profit.

peasblossom you are the voice of clarity and reason on here tonight that’s for sure.
?
And with your insider knowledge it’s even more appreciated. It has gravitas.

So what is the point of having a representative working in the European Union regarding fishing if they aren’t there to represent the government and the fishermen?

Peasblossom

I don’t know about Nigel Farage and his role Maybee so I can’t comment on that other than to say I think it would have been the role of Government to negotiate. I’m not sure he could do anything other than express a view. But it wouldn’t surprise me to learn he did nothing.

Some fishermen who could no longer make a living due to poor catches sold their rights to EU conglomerates. That’s what businesses do when they can’t turn a profit.

I'm surprised you didn't know about Farage's role in UK fishing. He was a member of the European Parliament's fisheries committee for three years, but attended only one of 42 possible meetings. It was his job to represent UK fishermen's interests, but he didn't. Instead, he exploited their dissatisfaction with their situation for his own agenda.

If the catches were so poor, how come EU conglomerates were keen to buy the rights?

Fishing has always been a hard life. The truth is that they sold out for a quick profit and an easier life (and who can blame them?). The government had no intention of supporting the UK fishing industry, which is worth a tiny percentage of GDP. Quite frankly, if fishing communities genuinely thought that Brexit would result in anything other than happier, British fish (to quote Rees-Mogg), they really were duped.

BTW My family's roots are firmly in the fishing industry, going back to at least 1788. One of my cousins was one of the people who sold out and made a fortune. These days, the fishing industry in the UK employs very few British workers. The fish processing industry is worth more to the economy than fishing itself. The people who will be compensated are the big operators (at least one of whom is a Tory donor), not the little guys who actually go out and catch the fish. The current dumping of fish is being caused by red tape because fish needs to be exported to markets quickly and the British don't eat the fish caught in British waters (happy fish or not).

MayBee70

So what is the point of having a representative working in the European Union regarding fishing if they aren’t there to represent the government and the fishermen?

The expenses were good!

"In comments seen by the Mail on Sunday, Dr Tim Leunig (a senior Treasury adviser) is understood to have said the food sector was “not critically important” to the country’s economy – and that agriculture and fisheries “certainly isn’t”.

The economic adviser to the chancellor, in his leaked emails, is reported to have said that ministers could follow the example of Singapore, which is “rich without having its own agricultural sector”.

Leunig’s opinions are likely to propel industry fears that ministers could discard safeguards for farmers and fishermen in the forthcoming post-Brexit trade talks with the US and the European Union."

But it was all Project Fear! Ha ha ha!

The owner of Lochfyne Langoustines has got exactly what he voted for ... and now wants compensation!

This Brexit deal will be a vote winner - for the SNP.

Tory MPs are getting agitated about all the red tape that they voted to get rid of when they voted for brexit.

Short memory syndrome. I’m sure all those who longed to get back to post 1973 on GN remember all the red tap involved in exporting and importing.

growstuff

The owner of Lochfyne Langoustines has got exactly what he voted for ... and now wants compensation!

Amazingly, growstuff, he said on twitter that he didn't vote at all in the referendum..

Continuing the argument that the decline of the fishing industry is in some part due to the ineptness and lack of concern from our own governments....

The fishing industry was offered better things ahead by an institution that have spent the last 50 years throwing them under the bus. The first thing that happened in the latest negotiations is that the fishing industry got thrown under the bus. True to form. Like many in this country they have been sold a pup, made to believe that the problem was the EU when the problem was with our own governments.

MaizieD

growstuff

The owner of Lochfyne Langoustines has got exactly what he voted for ... and now wants compensation!

Amazingly, growstuff, he said on twitter that he didn't vote at all in the referendum..

Maybe he didn't vote, but he encouraged other people to vote to leave.

I hope he supports compensation for everybody who has been and will be affected by Brexit.

Alegrias1

Continuing the argument that the decline of the fishing industry is in some part due to the ineptness and lack of concern from our own governments....

The fishing industry was offered better things ahead by an institution that have spent the last 50 years throwing them under the bus. The first thing that happened in the latest negotiations is that the fishing industry got thrown under the bus. True to form. Like many in this country they have been sold a pup, made to believe that the problem was the EU when the problem was with our own governments.

A case could be made for many of the issues which were blamed on the EU, when it was the UK's own government(s) which was/were responsible.

Whitewavemark2

Tory MPs are getting agitated about all the red tape that they voted to get rid of when they voted for brexit.

Short memory syndrome. I’m sure all those who longed to get back to post 1973 on GN remember all the red tap involved in exporting and importing.

Not only that but it seems to be the ERG lot (ie the true rulers of this country) that are arguing against lockdowns etc. There seems to be a pattern forming here. Do the ERG ever do anything to improve this country for it’s inhabitants or are they just concerned about the financial side of everything eg hedge fund etc. The thought of Cash, Bone, Rees Mogg, Redwood and Francois being in charge terrified me.