The Scottish salmon industry has called on ministers to intervene urgently to stop Brexit-related delays to the transportation of fresh fish to France.
It comes after the Brexit opportunities minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, admitted he was wrong to say there would be no delays at the Port of Dover caused by the UK leaving the EU.
Tavish Scott, the chief executive of the trade body Salmon Scotland, held a meeting with the fisheries minister Victoria Prentis on Tuesday morning after fish supplies became stuck in the gridlock on Kent roads a fortnight ago.
“Fresh salmon from Scotland will normally arrive in France the following morning, but in recent weeks there have been delays of up to 48 hours due to queues on the UK side of the Channel – and there are concerns of repeat problems,” the organisation said in a statement.
Normally fresh salmon would be available to the chefs in France, the biggest market, within three days of harvesting. But the industry says in the past two weeks there have been days when it has been unable to get any fish into France.
Before Brexit, hauliers could transport their product across the Channel without any checks. Now all food has to be accompanied by customs and health and safety documentation, with fish directed to Boulogne-sur-Mer, near Calais, where mandatory controls, including checking veterinary certificates, are conducted.
A spokesperson for Salmon Scotland said the fishing industry sector was selling fresh fish on “day one for consumption on day three”. But the disruption on the Kent roads have meant delays of up to four days – and sometimes the loss of entire sales.
“We had at least one day where we could not get any fresh salmon into France at all,” the spokesperson added. “These are perishable products. Unlike a tin of beans they cannot be sitting in a queue in the back of a truck.
“The impacts of the border controls were identified, mitigation measures were identified but for some reason the government has decided not to implement them.”
The industry is calling on the government to put short-term measures in place to triage haulage, enabling refrigerated trucks with perishable goods to be prioritised in the event of future gridlock on the Kent roads.
But it also wants a longer-term solution put in place.
“Fresh Scottish salmon is perishable and needs to arrive with customers as quickly as possible,” said Scott. “Following today’s constructive meeting, we are hopeful of swift action.”
Generating more than £600m in sales, Scottish salmon is the UK’s single biggest food export. France is the top market for the fish, where it holds prestigious status with chefs and restaurants.
“The concern is that if the government doesn’t do something about this, our customers will just go to Norway, where they can guarantee the supply chain,” said the spokesperson.
The industry is at a disadvantage to Norway, which has access to the single market as it is a member of the European Economic Area, an option rejected by the British government.
The industry is also facing the threat of a trade war, with some speculating the EU will target prestige exports such as salmon in the event a new prime minister acts on the threat to tear up the Northern Ireland Brexit arrangements.
A government spokesperson said on Wednesday: “Scottish salmon is an export success story worth hundreds of millions of pounds, and we are committed to improving the UK imports and exports process for traders.
“Prioritising specific consignments would impact other traffic movements. However, we continue to work closely with the Port of Dover, Kent Resilience Forum and the French government to ensure the flow of all goods is maintained.”
• This article was amended on 3 August 2022 to correct the trade body’s name – it is Salmon Scotland, not Scottish Salmon; and to add a government response provided after publication.
