'Political will' needed from Labour to help Scottish fishermen in wake of 5-year Brexit anniversary

Friday marked five years since the UK officially left the European Union, but the fishing industry is still under a transition period until mid-2026.

Mike Park, from the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, said Brexit had been a “disappointment” for fishermen, despite a Scottish study showing more than nine in ten voting in favour of Brexit.

Mr Park told The Scotsman: “There are legacy issues from Brexit. We didn’t get much out of it and it’s caused more uncertainty. It’s been a disappointment.

“Eastern European labour departed leaving the processing sector short, the processing of small fish collapsed, and the export market became more difficult because of additional costs.

“There is also more paperwork, so we’ve had to employ additional staff, which is another cost.

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“These additional costs never existed before and it’s all been negative. There are some in the sector who would vote differently on Brexit now, but no one wants to go back in because we were shafted when we were in and on the way out.

“No one is naïve enough to think it is better to go back into the EU. But as a coastal state we are already negotiating access with Norway and Faroe [Islands].”

A study carried out by the University of Aberdeen in 2016 - a fortnight out from the Brexit vote - had showed 92 per cent of fishermen planned to vote ‘leave’ on June 23.

Access to UK waters for EU fishermen was slashed by a quarter after Brexit, but they are still able to access certain parts of the UK’s waters during the transition period.

Access to fishing waters is expected to be discussed between Brussels and the new Labour government this summer, particularly after Maroš Šefčovič, executive vice-president of the European Commission, told the European Parliament: “We have to ensure continued access to UK waters for EU fishing fleets.”

It is expected the UK government will negotiate access to the seas with the EU on an annual basis after the transition period ends in 18 months.

Mr Park said this presented an opportunity for the UK government to get proper negotiations on the table for access to fishing waters.

He said: “It is about political will to get guaranteed access for the fishing industry. We would hope that post-transition, we get a better deal with Europe through annual negotiations and a deal that benefits the UK.

“It is now all about the relationship Labour wants with the EU and how much pressure there is to give us fishermen more opportunities.”

The SNP marked the five-year anniversary on Friday by urging the UK government to “return to the European fold”.

Research commissioned by the SNP from the House of Commons library suggested the UK’s cumulative GDP since 2019 had grown slower than the 27 countries in the EU – 3.4 per cent compared to 5.3 per cent – though the figures from the research shows the UK’s GDP growing faster after the pandemic than the bloc.

A UK government spokesman said: “We will protect the interests of our fishers and fulfil our international commitments to protect the marine environment.”