In fleshing out the elements of the UK Fisheries policy post Brexit there is a mix of trying to appeal to the fishermen’s sense of a desire for change whilst recognising the underlying realities of the existing CFP arrangement and long standing (pre CFP) historical agreements. The House of Lords process (see below) is collecting evidence from Government – George Eustice – watch the video – and others. It will be interesting to see how much needs to go in the great repeal bill given that there is little legislation covering CFP arrangements. Two articles – The House of Lords process and a report of the NFFO AGM. How will ecosystem and environmental issues be factored into this process?
The House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee
Scope of the inquiry
The House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee is conducting a short inquiry exploring the future of fisheries following the vote to leave the European Union.
In this inquiry the Committee is seeking to:
- identify the United Kingdom’s key interests in fisheries after the UK leaves the EU
- explore the opportunities and constraints that will affect the Government’s ability to secure those interests in negotiating a future relationship with the EU.
The Committee will take evidence on some of the UK’s interests in a future fisheries relationship with the EU and what opportunities the UK has to protect those interests after Brexit.
Latest evidence
- 14 Sep 2016 – Brexit: fisheries – oral evidence | PDF version ( 312 KB) Published 21 Sep 2016
Evidence given by Sigurgeir Thorgeirsson, Vidar Landmark and Geir Ervik, George Eustice MP
- 07 Sep 2016 – Brexit: fisheries – oral evidence | PDF version ( 321 KB) Published 20 Sep 2016
Evidence given by Professor Robin Churchill, Dr Bryce Stewart, Professor Richard Barnes, Barrie Deas, Bertie Armstrong, Marcus Coleman and Hazel Curtis
- All Brexit: fisheries publications
Click here to read more
George Eustace @ the NFFO AGM The fishing industry has heard that the result of the EU referendum has provided the sector with a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for radical change”.
This was the message conveyed by UK fisheries minister George Eustice as he addressed a room full of fishermen at the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation’s (NFFO) annual general meeting in London. The gathering, which took place on Thursday, 8 September, was the first opportunity that UK fishermen had to directly address the minister since the outcome of the referendum was made known.
Upon leaving the Union, the UK will also be leaving the Common Fisheries Policy. Eustice told the delegation that the industry now had “an opportunity to go back to first principles” and to design arrangements that are specifically tailored to UK fleets and fisheries. He labelled the Common Fisheries Policy as rigid and incapable of producing the responsive, adaptive approach required to manage modern, complex and diverse fisheries.
While negotiating the departure of the EU is still uncertain, Eustice said that leaving would provide opportunities to renegotiate the UK’s quota shares and access arrangements while still keeping access to European markets. He emphasised that Britain would be leading all aspects of negotiations while consulting with the devolved administrations.
Although the UK is presented with the opportunity to rethink its policies, Eustice did highlight that some areas of the Common Fisheries Policy should be retained. These include a commitment to maximum sustainable yield and some form of landing obligation. All members of the industry have been invited to submit their ideas on changes that they would like to see implemented to guide future UK policies.
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