BREXITEER Ben Habib has accused Boris Johnson of being asleep on the job in a blistering attack after it was revealed a large number of agricultural exporters are currently unable to get their products into Europe as a result of the post-Brexit trade deal.
Priorities for seafood taskforce
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Urgent work required to support sector.
Streamlining export processes, fixing IT systems and resolving trade issues with the EU must be urgent priorities for a new UK Government led seafood export taskforce, Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing has said.
Speaking ahead of the first meeting of the Scottish Seafood Export Taskforce on Friday, Mr Ewing outlined areas where the industry has faced challenges since the end of the EU Exit Transition Period. He said the taskforce’s focus must be on:
ensuring a more consistent approach and understanding of customs arrangements, including providing clarity to EU vessels landing in the UK
Scottish seafood taskforce meets to drive progress
A new seafood taskforce, chaired by UK Government Minister for Scotland David Duguid, met for the first time today to solve ongoing problems with exports.
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12 February 2021
A new seafood taskforce met for the first time today (Friday 12 February), drawing together senior political figures, industry representatives and UK Government officials, all bidding to solve ongoing problems with exports.
Chaired by UK Government Minister for Scotland, David Duguid, the virtual meeting was attended by UK Environment Secretary George Eustice and Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism with the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Seafood Exports Taskforce included industry representatives drawn from the catching, processing and exporting sectors.
Meat processors representatives have highlighted increases in export costs of up to 40pc due to the loss of frictionless trade caused by Brexit, in a submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine
The comments come as winter finishers were hit with a shock 10c cut to beef quotes this week on top a 5c cut last week.
However, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) told the committee that increased costs due to new Customs and sanitary/phytosanitary (SPS) processes, delays and disruption in logistics and direct transport cost increases were impacting the industry.
Whilst the increase in direct sailings to Continental Europe has helped provide exporters with an alternative to the UK Landbridge, MII says that it costs between €500 and €800 extra per truck to send exports to Continental Europe direct.