The UK fishing industry faces challenges if the European Union’s new sustainable fishing policy enforces its strict landing obligations while Brexit fails to reinstate Britain as an ‘independent coastal state’ warns John Procter, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber.
The fabric of the UK fishing industry has changed during its time in the EU such that some traditional fishing ports are now left with only a handful of fishing boats and key skills have been lost, according to Mr Procter who sees Brexit as an opportunity to bring the ‘struggling UK fishing industry back to life’.
“I believe it is going to be vital to regain critical control over access to British territorial waters,” he added.
Of key concern to UK fishermen, he continued, is assurance that the new fisheries agreement, expected by 1 July 2020 in which the UK becomes an ‘independent coastal state’, remains a separate negotiation to any free trade arrangement.
