Boris Johnson hints Scottish fishermen will get ‘compensation’ for ‘temporary’ Brexit loss

Boris Johnson says Scottish fishermen will be ‘compensated’

The Prime Minister indicated some Scottish fishing businesses would receive compensation as he defended the post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels. Asked why some of the Scottish fishing fleet was tied up, rather than out fishing, Mr Johnson told the Liaison Committee on Wednesday: “I understand very much the frustrations of… the fishing community and fishermen and women who are facing what I believe are temporary frustrations.

“In so far as there are delays caused by a variety of problems, we will compensate those fishing businesses.

“But there is a massive opportunity for Scotland and for the whole of the UK with the increase in quota that we get from the deal.”

Scottish fishermen are now threatening the Government with an imminent protest outside Westminster’s doors unless seafood sales with the EU are fully restored by next week. 

A Scottish seafood fisherman has warned Boris Johnson he and other fishers will dump tonnes of rotten langoustine and other seafood outside the House of Parliament.

Jamie Duncan, the co-owner of Loch Fyne Langoustines in Argyll, said in a short film on Twitter: “It’s unbelievable the situation we’re in here.

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“It’s the 13th of January and we can’t get any product in the EU market whatsoever.

“We’re being made a fool of.

“The fishing industry has been made a fool of by the Westminster government.

“I’m dismayed, I’m angry. My blood is boiling.”

He added: “We can’t get our product to the EU market because of red tape, extra paperwork.

“It’s an absolute disgrace what we’ve had to go through.”

Brexit: Scottish fisherman slams EU ‘red-tape’ for exports

In a direct message to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, he said: “Prime Minister and Michael Gove, I can assure you if Scottish exporters can’t get their products to the market by next week, we will be at the gates of Westminster and we will be dumping our shellfish on your doorstep rotten.

“The same way a UK Westminster Government is rotten to the core.

“I’m absolutely sickened by this.

“We are fighting for survival here.”

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SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said that “Brexit red tape” was causing fresh and high quality produce to be lost.

He told the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday: “My constituent in Lochaber, a producer and exporter of shellfish, is experiencing his worst nightmare. After loading a lorry of fresh local seafood on Monday, as he’s done for 35 years, his driver faced bureaucracy and delays.

“Brexit red tape now means that £40,000 of his fresh, high quality produce is lost, unable to be sold. That £40,000 produce is income for over 100 local families in many remote and fragile communities.

“Can the Prime Minister tell my constituent where is the sea of opportunity that he and his Scottish Tories promised?”

Boris Johnson responded: “Well, we’re putting £100 million into supporting the fishing industry in Scotland and across the whole of the UK.

“It is the policy of the Scottish nationalist party not just to break up the United Kingdom under their hare-brained scheme, but also to take Scotland back into the EU and hand back control of Scottish fisheries to Brussels, thereby throwing away all those opportunities.”

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