A number of fishing businesses have taken to the streets of London to protest the disruption to the industry caused by new Brexit controls.
New Brexit regulations have caused significant price drops across the seafood industry, with reports of a lack of clarity over new paperwork and system failures. Donna Fordyce, head of Seafood Scotland, stated that the industry had hit “rock bottom” following the UK’s exit from the EU.
The BBC reported that more than 20 lorries had been driving around the streets of London with messages such as “incompetent Government destroying shellfish industry.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has stated that Government is working with the industry to resolve any issues, and Boris Johnson also promised compensation for companies that had been impacted.
Mark Moore, manager of the Dartmouth Crab Company, said the protests were to “raise awareness” of how the new border checks are affecting the seafood industry.
He told the BBC: “It’s not about the increased documentation per se. We have taken that on board, and we ourselves – and I know many others – have had no issues with producing the actual paperwork.
“It’s the volume required and the timeframe in which to produce it, which doesn’t lend itself to live shellfish and fish generally.”
