As fishing businesses in the UK struggle to survive the combined effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the pst-Brexit fallout, according to the NFFO, things for the sector are getting worse rather than better.
The NFFO has again written to Secretary of State George Eustice and Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis, seeking a second round of support for struggling fishing businesses.
‘I wrote to you on 1st February, 2021, making the case for a further tranche of financial support for the fleets in England who are facing multiple challenges. I am writing again to press you on this matter because things in our sector are getting worse rather than better,’ reads the letter signed by NFFO chief executive Barrie Deas.
‘The combined effects of Covid-19 lockdown and impediments to the export of fish and shellfish, along with low levels of resilience are putting a great strain on the viability of many fishing businesses. The purpose of the first tranche of financial support was to ensure that we have viable fishing businesses when these troubles recede. In that regard, nothing has changed.’
The NFFO is urging the Secretary of State and the Minister to seek Treasury support that the sector desperately needs.
‘As an industry we have no desire to be reliant on subsidies and consider self-reliance to be a virtue. These are, however, exceptional circumstances and I must ask you to treat this as a matter of urgency,’ the NFFO stated.
