Saving Seafood

UK seafood supply chains adapted to pandemic during summer respite

December 4, 2020 — The temporary easing of coronavirus restrictions in the United Kingdom during the summer months provided a platform for the country’s seafood supply chains to start to get back on track, finds the latest COVID-19 impact review compiled by public body Seafish.

Focusing on the months July to September 2020 – a period that saw restrictions relaxed before being scaled up again – the new review confirms that in particular, foodservice demand increased in the United Kingdom and Europe, with consumers given the opportunity to eat meals out of their homes.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

EU-UK trade deal hangs in the balance with four weeks to go

December 3, 2020 — The European Union and Britain talked into late on Thursday to try to secure a Brexit trade deal, with an EU official saying an agreement was closer than ever but a UK government source warning chances for a breakthrough were receding.

Since Britain left the EU in January, negotiators have struggled to overcome their differences, with each side urging the other to make concessions to unlock a trade deal before London’s transition period out of the bloc ends on Dec. 31.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is due to update 27 national envoys to the bloc’s hub Brussels on Friday on the latest in the talks. A senior British government source said the prospect of a breakthrough in the next few days was receding.

A member of Barnier’s team said earlier on Thursday that significant gaps remained on the three most contentious issues and that the final outcome was still uncertain.

“The long and the short story is that talks are continuing in London. Significant divergences remain,” Stefaan de Rynck told a seminar in the Belgian capital. “Both sides are working hard to overcome them but the outcome is uncertain.”

Read the full story at Reuters

U.K. Sees Brexit Deal Within Days If EU Moves on Fisheries

December 1, 2020 — Boris Johnson’s officials believe a Brexit trade deal could be reached within days if both sides continue working in “good faith” to resolve what the U.K. sees as the last big obstacle in the talks — fishing rights.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called on the European Union to recognize that regaining control over British waters is a question of sovereignty for the U.K. He drew a positive picture of the state of negotiations and said he believed a deal on fish “ought” to be achievable during what could be the final week of talks.

“I think it’s important that the EU understand the point of principle,” Raab told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday show on Sky News. “If they show the pragmatism, the goodwill and the good faith that in fairness I think has surrounded the last leg of the talks, and certainly we’ve shown in our flexibility, I think there’s a deal to be done.”

If negotiations fail, millions of businesses and consumers will face higher costs, with tariffs on goods as well as disruption to critical supply chains. The Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31, when the U.K. is scheduled to leave the EU’s single market and customs regime.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

Brexit goes down to the wire: EU and UK say big differences remain

November 30, 2020 — The European Union and Britain said on Friday there were still substantial differences over a Brexit trade deal as the EU chief negotiator prepared to travel to London in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous finale to the five-year Brexit crisis.

With just five weeks left until the United Kingdom finally exits the EU’s orbit on Dec. 31, both sides are calling on the other to compromise on the three main issues of contention – fishing, state aid and how to resolve any future disputes.

The two sides will shortly resume face-to-face negotiations after they had to be suspended last week when one of EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier’s team tested positive for COVID-19.

“Clearly there are substantial and important differences still to be bridged but we’re getting on with it,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters.

Read the full story at Reuters

EU must accept reality to move fisheries talks forward, says PM

November 27, 2020 — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday the European Union needed to accept the reality that Britain must control access to its waters if the two were to make progress in Brexit talks on fisheries.

“Our position on fish hasn’t changed. We’ll only be able to make progress if the EU accepts the reality that we must be able to control access to our waters and it’s very important at this stage to emphasise that,” he told parliament.

Read the full story at Reuters

UK fisheries bill becomes law, revoking automatic rights for EU vessels

November 24, 2020 — The United Kingdom’s Fisheries Bill has received Royal Assent after 10 months in Parliament, thereby making it the Fisheries Act, the country’s government has confirmed.

Announcing that the Fisheries Act 2020 had passed into law – representing the United Kingdom’s first major domestic fisheries legislation in nearly 40 years – the government said it would now have control over who fishes in its waters through a new foreign vessel licensing regime, and that the current automatic rights for European Union vessels to fish in U.K. waters have ended.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

No-deal Brexit could reignite ‘cod wars’, fishermen warn

November 18, 2020 — A no-deal Brexit could lead to a repeat of the “cod wars” between Britian and Iceland across the EU, an Irish fishing group has warned.

Seán O’Donoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, said he was hopeful that “common sense” would prevail and Britain and the EU would reach an agreement on fisheries in the coming days.

“We’ve had the Icelandic Cod Wars in the past,” he told The Times. A no-deal Brexit “would be similar to that”.

Mr O’Donoghue said that there could be disputes in the Irish Sea, around the northwest Irish coast near Scotland, in the English Channel where waters are shared with France, and the North Sea, where some waters are shared with Denmark.

Read the full story at The Times

UK and Iceland sign fisheries agreement, stepping up cooperation

November 13, 2020 — The United Kingdom and Iceland are to increase their collaborative efforts on fisheries matters through a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) that has been signed by U.K. Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis and Icelandic Minister of Fisheries Kristján Þór Júlíusson. It is the first fisheries agreement ever made between the two countries.

According to the U.K. government, the MOU, which will come into effect on 1 January, 2021, will establish a U.K.-Iceland Fisheries Dialogue, whereby both countries share best-practice and cooperate on a range of issues, including product innovation and food waste reduction. It will also provide a platform for businesses to exchange knowledge on the adoption of new technologies, and ways to enhance the value, traceability and marketing of seafood products.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

EU says still far apart with Britain on fisheries, state aid in trade talks

November 9, 2020 — There has been some progress in talks on a future trade relationship between Britain and the European Union, but both sides are still far apart on fisheries and state aid for companies, the head of the European Commission said on Saturday.

Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter she agreed in a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that negotiating teams on both sides would continue to work hard on a deal next week as time is running out to reach and ratify an agreement before Britain’s transition period ends at the end of this year.

“We took stock of the negotiations with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson today. Some progress has been made, but large differences remain especially on level playing field and fisheries,” von der Leyen said.

Read the full story at Reuters

Brexit Deal in Sight as Fish Compromise Nears: Brussels Edition

November 2, 2020 — This week could be crunch time for negotiations on the EU’s future relationship with the U.K. In a sign that a compromise could be struck by the mid-November deadline, officials are close to breaking the deadlock on the access EU boats will have to U.K. fishing waters. The sides have two weeks to finalize an agreement and may pause this week to allow EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier to brief member states and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to give one final push. Although important differences remain — particularly over state aid and the level playing field for business — a deal on fish would remove one of the biggest obstacles.

Read the full story at Bloomberg