The UK government is being urged to take immediate action to support exports of salmon held up by cross-Channel delays.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of trade body Salmon Scotland, held talks in Shetland with UK Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis to highlight the disruption and the importance of salmon exports for island and rural communities.
“This meeting was a welcome opportunity to set out the challenges currently facing salmon exporters and the risk to the Scottish and UK economies unless urgent action is taken,” said Mr Scott.
“As the UK’s biggest food export, it is vital for jobs in Scotland and for the UK economy that we avoid any hold-ups at the Channel.”
Fresh salmon from Scotland will normally arrive in France the following morning, but in recent weeks there have been delays of up to 48 hours owing to queues on the UK side of the Channel.
Salmon Scotland is therefore calling on the UK government to introduce immediate contingency plans for perishable goods to have priority status when delays occur during peak times such as the summer holidays.
But there also needs to be a longer-term permanent post-Brexit solution after schools return, with extra capacity in place to avoid delays for all transport and flexibility built in to adapt for shifts in demand, insists Mr Scott.
