The UK Labour Government has said it will “listen to what the EU has to say” on allowing their fishing boats access to UK waters as part of a new post-Brexit deal despite concerns over a drop in the number of fishermen based in the North East.
Scottish Conservative Buckie-based MSP Tim Eagle wrote to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) over fears Keir Starmer will grant long-term access to British waters for the European fishing fleet when the EU-UK fisheries deal expires in 2026.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who met European finance ministers this week, said negotiations on a new trading relationship would begin “in the new year”.
It follows concerns about the long-term future of the industry after new figures from the Scottish Government show a year-on-year drop of people fishing out of North East ports.
Last year, 705 people fished out of Fraserburgh, in comparison to 791 in 2021 and 760 in 2022.
There was also a decline at Peterhead which had 329 fishermen in 2023 – a drop from 370 in 2021 and 356 in 2022.
Meanwhile, Buckie had 137 fishers, compared with 163 in 2021 and 149 in 2022.
Mr Eagle believes these figures will drop even further if Keir Starmer bows down to the demands of EU leaders, who will reportedly ask the Prime Minister to make concessions on fishing in return for his “reset” with the bloc.
Scottish Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary Tim Eagle said: “Since leaving the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), not only have we seen catches and landings increase but Scotland has had a far stronger voice in annual quote negotiations since the UK became an independent coastal state.
“The SNP would gladly sacrifice that by re-joining the CFP and it now looks like the Labour UK Government are prepared to sell out Scottish fishermen by offering up access to UK waters to EU fishing boats.
“At a time when the number of fishermen in areas such as Fraserburgh and Peterhead are declining, it’s vital the industry continues to have full access to our fish stocks so we can take advantage of our position outside the EU to independently negotiate in our fishing fleets best interest.
“There is huge growth in global demand for high quality food and drink in the North East, including the fish and seafood landed in Peterhead and Fraserburgh – such as mackerel and langoustines, but granting access to EU boats would severely jeopardise this.
“That is why it’s imperative Keir Starmer protects livelihoods and our UK waters by not offering up access when the EU-UK fisheries deal expires in 2026.”
In a response to a letter from Mr Eagle, secretary of state for Defra, Steve Reid, said: “On June 30, 2026, the fisheries adjustment period will come to an end and the normal access-to-waters provisions in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement come into effect.
“This means that access will become a matter for annual negotiation and would be considered alongside our annual consultations with the EU on fishing opportunities for shared stocks.
“We will listen to what the EU has to say on access, but we will protect the interest of our fishers, while fulfilling our international commitments to protect the marine environment.”
