Fishing industry being destroyed

Apparently Jchnson has told the very angry fish people that they were filling in the wrong forms

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-seafood-sales-boris-johnson-b1788936.html

I'm sorry, but to think that there are people in the UK, people on this forum, who might think that he is making a reasonable point, just fills me with absolute horror. The contempt for people's intelligence and the unconcern for the position they find themselves in is unspeakable.

What worries me is that the government might not be able to do anything about this. The Trade Agreement hasn't been approved by the parliaments of the Member States and probably won't be until March/April. I'm wondering if it would be permitted to change any part of it before it is approved? Negotiations to improve this situation might have to wait.

(There is an alternative possibility, but I'll leave someone else to come up with it... it's not nearly so gloomy...)

We are now nearly 3 weeks into the new system (early days yet as one or two people are prone to state) and the fishermen have demonstrated outside Westminster today because their industry is very quickly being destroyed.

Another GNer has told us that the form filling is easy but one seafood exporter has said he has to fill in 400 pages.
Simples!

I heard one today on James O'Brien who makes childrens' furniture which she exports to France. She said that dealing with the red tape is like she had to do before we joined the EU whereas between now and then it was quite straightforward.

The problem was that British fishing quota was allowed to be sold to other countries.

Other EU countries which did not have Farage as their useless representative on the EU fishing committee did not allow their national fishing quota to be sold abroad.

I believe that one Dutch company now owns one third of the UK fishing quota - because they bought it from UK fishermen.

Peasblossom

I’d like to comment as someone whose family has been involved in fishing for over a hundred years, mostly trawler men.

The deal is not what was hoped for in that the concession to fish in British waters is greater than was wanted and goes on for longer than was wanted. It’s a big disappointment.

BUT our fishing industry when we were in the EU was without hope. That’s why the vast majority of fishermen voted leave.

So if you’re saying fishermen should have got a better deal, I agree.

If you’re saying they were better off in the EU. You couldn’t be further from the truth. Nobody in the fishing industry would want to go back to what was before.

There seems to be a difference of opinion Peasblossom, between what you are saying on behalf of the fishing community and what the Chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations is saying on their behalf.

Now I wonder who knows most about the industry?

I just cannot understand why anyone connected with the fishing industry could ever have voted for Farage, who clearly did not give a toss for them or their industry.

Sorry that should be your vote, after all he was an Elected MEP.

I also have close family in Scottish fishing and also live in Brussels.
Farage only attended a handful of plenary sessions on fishing in the Parliament, preferring to veto and waste his vote.
He of course was very happy to take his salary from the UK taxpayers.
He held court in most of the bars in the Schuman (EU) area until he gradually was barred from all of them.
He would sit at the bar in Kitty O'Sheas and loudly proclaim his views.
I entered once with a friend and he called give those people a drink on me.
My friend had his brain switched on and replied, no thanks I prefer to choose where my taxes go and it is not down peoples throats.
He is an unpleasant man and was surrounded by syncophants and others taking taxpayers money for their own gain.
I wonder where he will go without his dear friend Trump.

Who are these fishermen anyway? They didn’t go to Eton, they didn’t attend either of the universities, and they don’t belong to any London gentlemen’s clubs.

Protest in London today

news.sky.com/story/brexit-shellfish-lorries-park-near-downing-street-as-new-rules-cause-severe-delays-at-eu-border-12191385

Well that's all right then. Dominic Raab (what does he know about fishing?) has told Andrew Maar that there are no problems and they certainly aren't caused by Brexit! He was also boasting that the government will be pouring £100 million into the fishing industry. Isn't this £100 million that we wouldn't have had to spend if we were still in the EU? I still see no sign of Brexit saving us any money, just endless expense.

By John Ashworth - leading light in the organisation "Fishing for Leave"

"Deal is so bad we'd be better off staying in the EU"

The penny has dropped....bit late though....

www.conservativewoman.co.uk/brexit-fisheries-deal-its-so-bad-wed-be-better-off-staying-in-the-eu/

I have been watching the current TV series about the Cornish fishermen. Edward Heath hung them out to dry years ago resulting in a huge reduction of fishermen and boats. The vast majority of them voted Leave because they are desperate to keep the industry alive and attract young people to become fishermen. Life has been very hard for many of them. House prices are sky high with people buying up property for holiday and second homes, leaving the locals unable to compete. They were hoping for a minister who would fight their corner but got lumbered with Victoria Prentis, just another no-hoper in a long list. Our fishermen deserved better than this deal.

As someone who is interested in this topic (we eat a lot of fish) but not an expert, is this correct? ie as follows:
The most popular fish in the UK are cod and haddock, and these are the ones being affected by the shared waters with France.
There are many fisheries off our south and west coasts which aren't affected by the new agreement. Hake is caught there (similar to cod and haddock) and as someone said, mackerel, and other healthier oily fish.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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..

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.

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

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

"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!

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!

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).

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.