Scotland’s salmon sector has urged the UK Government to take action to support exports affected by cross-Channel delays.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, held talks in Shetland with UK Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis to highlight the disruption and the importance of salmon exports for island and rural communities.
Prentis also met with salmon producers Scottish Sea Farms and Cooke Aquaculture Scotland, which together make up around 20% of Shetland’s economy.
Scott commented: “This meeting was a welcome opportunity to set out the challenges currently facing salmon exporters and the risk to the Scottish and UK economies unless urgent action is taken.
“We have urged the UK Government to prioritise the movement of perishable goods - following today’s constructive meeting, we are hopeful of swift action.”
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.
The trade body called on the UK Government to introduce immediate contingency plans for perishable goods to have priority status when delays occur at peak times.
It also demanded a longer-term post-Brexit solution, with extra capacity in place to avoid delays for all transport and flexibility built in to adapt for shifts in demand.
The call 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.
Before Brexit, hauliers could transport products to the continent without any checks, but now all food has to be accompanied by customs and health and safety documentation, with fish directed to Boulogne-sur-Mer, where mandatory controls - including checking veterinary certificates - are conducted.
Recent delays on roads leading up to Dover in Kent have meant waits of up to four days and sometimes the loss of entire sales.
Scottish salmon is the UK’s biggest food export, generating more than £600m for the UK economy through foreign sales alone - and supporting thousands of jobs in Scotland.
The sector directly employs 2,500 people in Scotland and supports more than 3,600 suppliers, with a further 10,000 jobs dependent on farm-raised salmon.
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