A Dorset MP has been given the Prime Minister’s reassurance that fishermen will not lose out during the Brexit process.
Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset, raised the issue in Parliament this week. He asked the Prime Minister Theresa May to reassure fishermen that they will not be disadvantaged by incoming EU policies during the Brexit implementation period.
He asked: “Will she reassure fishermen in South Dorset and around the country, especially the under-10 metre fleet, that they will not be disadvantaged by any incoming EU policies during the implementation period?”
Mr Drax was referring to several pieces of EU legislation which campaigners fear will crush what’s left of the UK’s fishing industry during the 21-month transition period, after the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy is already considered by many to have decimated it.
The Prime Minster replied: “Let me reassure him that, during the implementation period we have negotiated, the UK’s share of catch cannot be reduced. This safeguards the livelihoods of our fishing communities and, importantly, also delivers a smooth and orderly Brexit.”
The Prime Minister added: “There is also an obligation in the agreement on both sides to act in good faith throughout that implementation period, and any attempts by the EU to harm the UK fishing industry would obviously breach that obligation. Obviously, in December 2020, we will be negotiating fishing opportunities as a third country—as a fully independent coastal state—deciding who can have access to our waters and on what terms for the first time in more than 40 years.”
Mr Drax said: “This is vitally important for our fishing industry. Weymouth and countless other fishing towns have lost many fishing boats as a result of the CFP. Small boats, especially the under-tens, have been hardest hit. We cannot allow any further destruction while we wait to leave the EU.”