The UK government is urged not to capitulate to what the NFFO describes as the outrageous demands being made by the European Union when it comes to renegotiating the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
‘The rhetoric around the upcoming negotiations is becoming increasingly heated. We shouldn’t take it all too seriously,’ an NFFO representative said, while describing the TCA as ‘an astonishingly good deal for the EU.’
‘The agreement that Boris Johnson’s government made fell far short of what it promised. In particular, the pretence that the UK would become an independent coastal state was fatally undermined by the permission given for European vessels to fish in UK Waters up to six miles from our shore,’ the NFFO states.
‘The only bright point was that this concession was not permanent. In 2026, when the TCA is renewed, that free access comes to an end. From this point onwards, unless a new and different agreement is reached, access for EU boats to UK Waters, and vice versa, must be negotiated afresh every year.’
Reference is made to what are described as veiled threats that unless control over access to its fisheries is surrendered, British products would be barred from European markets.
‘Our government must not cave in to this clumsy attempt at bullying by a few European politicians who seem happy to appear to be playing games with the safety and lives of their citizens. The revision of the TCA needs cool heads and calm words. Each affected sector should be considered according to its own needs and where one party seeks to change the deal that was done in 2020, it should expect to pay for the additional benefits it hopes to acquire,’ the NFFO states.
‘In this week’s Westminster Hall debate on fisheries, almost every speaker sought assurances from the government that it would not capitulate to this unfair pressure. Encouragingly, Minister Zeichner, responding on behalf of the government, spoke of his determination to get a ‘good deal’ for the UK’s fishermen. Long may this confidence and resolve continue.’
