An exit from the EU could cost UK fish and shellfish exporters £100 million annually, warns UK environment secretary Elizabeth Truss.
As the debate in the run-up to the UK referendum on EU membership becomes increasingly intense, and with the fishing industry generally in favour of a vote to leave the EU, environment secretary Elizabeth Truss has warned that with 85% of UK shellfish worth £360 million going to Europe, a vote to leave could put British fishing at a serious disadvantage.
She commented that UK scallop exports have risen by almost 18% since 2012, and langoustine exports in 2015 were worth £80 million as the UK fishing sector enjoys tariff-free access to European markets.
‘With the UK exporting twice as much seafood to Europe than to the rest of the world – from scallops to France and langoustines to Spain – £360 million of British seafood is heading for Europe’s markets, making a splash on their menus,’ she said in a statement issued by DEFRA, making the point that the EU is the world’s biggest economy and carries significant weight in international trade negotiations.
‘UK fishermen continue to reap the benefits of easy access, tariff-free, to the world’s largest single market of 500 million consumers. That is why it’s great to see UK companies flying the flag for our fishing industry in Brussels this week and using the opportunity to take advantage of easy access to the EU market,’ she said, adding that a possible 10% tariff on exports to the EU would be a crippling £100 million blow to UK fishing and seafood exports.
She said that exports of all UK fish and fish products to the EU were worth over £900 million to the UK economy in 2015, almost 70% of total exports for the sector.
