Warning that Scottish seafood taskforce should not be just a 'talking shop'

The UK Government has been warned that its new Scottish seafood taskforce must deliver solutions for the industry in the wake of Brexit and not be just a “talking shop”.
Lorries from Scottish seafood companies drive past the Houses of Parliament last month, in a protest action by fishermen against post-Brexit red tape.Lorries from Scottish seafood companies drive past the Houses of Parliament last month, in a protest action by fishermen against post-Brexit red tape.
Lorries from Scottish seafood companies drive past the Houses of Parliament last month, in a protest action by fishermen against post-Brexit red tape.

Due to meet for the first time today, the taskforce was established after new border controls and red tape saw tonnes of seafood fail to be exported to the EU after the Brexit transition period ended at the start of January, sparking a protest by businesses outside the House of Commons.

The meeting also comes a day after the chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, Jimmy Buchan, called for the establishment of a Scottish customs clearance house to make exporting to Europe easier.

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Scotland’s fisheries secretary Fergus Ewing, who will attend the meeting, said streamlining export processes needed to be the taskforce priority, along with fixing IT systems and resolving trade issues with the EU.

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He also said the taskforce focus must be on ensuring a more consistent approach and understanding of customs arrangements, including providing clarity to EU vessels landing in the UK, simplifying the system used for export health certificates and aligning HMRC and Defra systems to reduce errors.

“The seafood sector has faced six weeks of relentless bureaucracy and barriers to trading with the EU, which have been imposed by a damaging and last-minute Brexit deal,” he said.

“The taskforce must not be a talking shop, it needs to provide urgent solutions and I will continue to fight to make things better for our fishermen and wider seafood sector.

"These are not just ‘teething problems’. This is an entirely new way of working that is a direct consequence of the way the UK Government handled Brexit and we must look at ways to minimise these impacts.

"This is time critical and the taskforce must look at how we can remove barriers to trade, resolve some of the export issues businesses have faced with scallops and cockles, mussels and oysters, and streamline processes.”

Mr Ewing added: "If it is to be effective, it will need the full engagement of UK departments, whose systems and processes are the source of much of the frustration encountered by fishermen and processors in all parts of the UK.

The UK Government has said the Scottish Seafood Exports Taskforce draws together “a wide range of key industry representatives from the catching, processing and aquaculture sectors” as well as UK and Scottish governments.

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Minister for Scotland David Duguid, who is chairing the taskforce, has said the new body will "track the export process to identify issues stopping or delaying export, and areas of complexity that are not yet well understood”.

“We want to seek a common understanding on the export process and address concerns by developing solutions to be taken forward by the UK Government, Scottish Government and EU,” he said.

"And we want to ensure there is effective communication with the industry to ensure traders are aware of issues and of solutions.”

The taskforce will meet fortnightly with a focus on establishing and taking the actions "needed to help secure a prosperous long-term future for the Scottish seafood industry”.

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