Key takeaways from UK fisheries minister talk at shellfish conference
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May 13, 2021 10:34 BST
The UK’s fisheries minister faced tough questions over Brexit at the annual Shellfish Association of Great Britain conference held on Wednesday (May 12) [.]
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Minister Refuses To Apologise To Shellfish Industry For Post-Brexit Trade Collapse
12 May
The fisheries minister has refused to say sorry for the government s handling of the post-Brexit shellfish saga amid tough questions from exporters whose sales to the European Union have been torpedoed since the New Year.
Victoria Prentis, a parliamentary under-secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), on Wednesday admitted there was no silver bullet to revive the UK s live shellfish exports to the EU, but insisted the fault lay with Brussels, not the government.
As originally reported by PoliticsHome, exports to the EU of live shellfish like muscles, oysters and scallops caught in most British waters came to an abrupt halt in early January due to the bloc s strict health and safety rules for trade from third countries like the UK.
Like all food products, the shellfish must be accompanied by an export health certificate.
Rob Benson, director of Kingfisher Seafoods Ltd, warned regrading the waters would not be enough to solve the ongoing issue and lashed out at the Government for failing to help.
He told i: Everything that can be done to help the industry is better than nothing, but it isn’t going to fix the problem on its own. For every individual customer, it now costs around £350 on paperwork.
Boris faced backlash over the fishing crisis after Brexit (Image: Getty)
“The Government isn’t doing enough to help us.
| UPDATED: 14:32, Mon, Mar 8, 2021
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The EU formed a compensation fund in preparation for Brexit, aimed at softening the blow for nations such as Ireland and France. Ireland had been forecast to be the worst affected in the EU, and was therefore hoping to get the majority of the fund. However, disagreements over fishing between member states resulted in tension during negotiations over the £4.2billion pot. One EU diplomat told the Irish Times: “Certain member states began to see this whole fund as a sort of fish compensat
Cumbria shellfish producers call for water grading change bbc.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.