12 NEWS REVIEW - UNITED KINGDOM
UK fish farming Brexit, Covid-19 and welfare allegations combined to make it a challenging year for producers in the UK
J This page from top: Port of Dover; Donna Fordyce; David Duguid Opposite from top: Organic Sea Harvest’s organic salmon; Ben Moffit at Loch Linnhe; Stewart Rendall, Cooke Aquaculture
UK Farming v2.indd 12
ANUARY saw the UK’s seafood exporters struggling with the twin headaches of Covid-19 and new inspection requirements for exports to the European Union, post-Brexit. The leaders of Scotland’s main seafood and food trade bodies called on the UK Government to help resolve delays to EU exports which were causing significant problems for the sector. Dozens of lorry loads of fish failed to leave Scotland on time following the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December. Confusion over paperwork, the extra documentation needed and IT problems all contributed to delays and hold-ups. There has also been a backlog of traffic to deal
with as a result of France’s temporary travel ban introduced to slow the spread of a new Covid-19 variant. The trade bodies said the UK-EU trade deal, which was agreed on Christmas Eve – just one week before the new regulations came into effect – gave businesses no time to prepare for the huge changes necessary. Donna Fordyce, Chief Executive of Seafood Scotland, said: “All our producers have been working incredibly hard to work through all the extra red tape that has been put in place since 1 January, but it is an almost impossible task given the lack of preparation time.” A joint taskforce – chaired by UK Government Minister for Scotland David Duguid – was later set up to deal with post-Brexit problems for the Scottish seafood industry, although it was overshadowed by friction between the UK and Scottish
29/11/2021 13:43:46
