Last Thursday I met with Sheryll Murray MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries. We discussed the UK’s new Fisheries Bill and its impact on towns such as Great Grimsby.
The Bill creates the powers for the UK to operate as an independent coastal state and manage its fish stocks sustainably outside the EU. The introduction of the Fisheries Bill delivers a legal guarantee the UK will leave the Common Fisheries Policy at the end of the Transition Period, in December 2020 - allowing the UK to control who may fish in our waters, and on what terms, for the first time since 1973. Fisheries Minister George Eustice recently said: “For many people in coastal communities, taking back control and leaving the Common Fisheries Policy is at the heart of getting Brexit done, and this Bill delivers for the environment, fishermen and the Union.”
We know that the question of fishing rights is currently one of the big stumbling blocks in the on-going negotiations with the EU, and it is a complex and emotive issue. The Fisheries Bill becoming law will further help set the framework of our position in those negotiations. As the Bill passes through its various stages before finally becoming law, I will be liaising closely with the fishing and food processing industry here in Great Grimsby to make sure their voices are heard.
I am particularly concerned at this time about the indirect impact the coronavirus crisis is having on our local fish traders and food processors, particularly some of the smaller companies who rely heavily on the hospitality trade to sell their produce. We know that restaurants and pubs may be closed for some time still to come, so this is not just a short-term problem. I will do everything I can to provide assistance.
