As the pressure mounts in Westminster ahead of the crucial Parliamentary vote on Tuesday that is widely expected to reject the Prime Minister’s deal with the European Union, DEFRA and the MMO have published guidelines on the implications of Britain crashing out of the EU without transitional arrangement.
‘Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government’s top priority,’ an official release states. ‘This has not changed. However, the Government must prepare for every eventuality, including a no deal scenario.’
The government has stressed that it is working to avoid a no deal, but has all the same begun encouraging preparations that would ensure the continued traffic in seafood once the UK leaves the European Union.
Under a no deal situation from 29th March onwards fish and seafood products exported to the EU, including fish landed directly to EU ports, would require catch certification. Without an agreement, the UK would become a third country and as such catch certificates would have to be provided when trading with the EU.
Under these terms, UK exporters will be required to obtain a validated catch certificate to accompany their exports of most fish or fish products into the EU. This excludes some aquaculture products, freshwater fish, some molluscs, fish fry or larvae.
Importers will also have to submit an import catch certificate to the Port Health Authorities or relevant fisheries authority to be checked before the estimated arrival time into the UK
Exporters may also need to obtain supporting documents if the fish has been processed or stored in a country other than the flag state
DEFRA has stated that a new IT system to process and issue export catch certificates, and other supporting documentation, is in development and although no date has been put on when this is expected to be in place, exporters are told that they will receive full instructions on how to register and use the new system before the UK leaves the leave the EU. Import catch certificates will continue to be processed through the current paper-based system.
In addition to documentation required under regulations relating to IUU fishing, businesses will also need to follow additional steps to comply with health and customs regulations in the event of no deal becoming the case.
According to DEFRA, to plan ahead for creating a catch certificate, businesses and individuals exporting fish products to the EU will need to know the species, catching vessel’s identity, the catch date and the weight of each consignment.
