UK ports demand help for seafood exporters

Govt urged to work with EU in search of simplified rules amid post-Brexit delays

British port operators, fishermen, and companies involved in the transportation and storage of seafood products have all called on the United Kingdom government to work with the European Union to improve post-Brexit delays that are crippling their industry.

Ports wrote to the UK government, urging officials to sit down with European counterparts in search of simplified rules after declaring Brexit-related bureaucracy had already caused huge bottlenecks since the nation left the EU's single market and customs union on Dec 31.

The British Ports Association said in its letter to Michael Gove, the UK's Cabinet Office minister, that a shortage of UK environmental health officers was one of the reasons for the delays, alongside "extremely strict application" of new EU import rules.

The letter called on Gove to hold "urgent discussions" with his counterparts in the EU, "particularly France, about a pragmatic approach to enforcement," according to the Financial Times.

At the same time, furious Scottish haulage companies staged a protest close to the prime minister's residence in Downing Street on Monday that involved at least 20 large trucks carrying slogans including "Incompetent Government: destroying shellfish industry!" and "Brexit Carnage".

Ironically, the Daily Mail's website said 15 of the drivers were subsequently handed fixed-penalty fines for breaching novel coronavirus lockdown rules.

James Withers, the chief executive of the Scotland Food and Drink trade body, told the paper the drivers and their backers were calling for "immediate dialogue" with Europe about the problems facing the fishing industry.

"The UK government has already paused checks on EU imports until July 2021 and we need the same for goods going in the opposite direction; into the EU," he said.

When the UK was a member of the bloc, seafood products, including crab, langoustine, lobsters, mussels, oysters, and scallops, were sent directly to the European mainland in open, plastic crates. Now that it is not a member, shippers have to send seafood in sealed polystyrene boxes, something that is more time-consuming and expensive.

Sky News said fishermen are also angry about paperwork they must now complete, including catch certificates, health checks, and customs declarations.

Some shipments of UK seafood have reportedly taken so long to clear customs that they have been rejected by European buyers because they could no longer be considered fresh.

Sky News said some seafood companies are so frustrated with the situation that they have talked about dumping shellfish in central London to make their point.

After Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the difficulties on Sunday as "teething problems", Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday a 23-million-pound ($31 million) fund has been set up to support British seafood companies encountering problems.

And a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the BBC: "We recognize that the fishing industry is facing some temporary issues following the end of the transition period…and we are looking at what additional financial support we can provide to those businesses affected."