We must have been living in cloud cuckoo land to trust the politicians
| Published date | 19 June 2023 |
| Publication title | Daily Record, The / Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) |
Veterans and industry chiefs told the Daily Record how their sector had been treated as the "poster boy" for Brexit then "sacrificed" in the trade deal Boris Johnson agreed with the EU.
Speaking at Peterhead Harbour, skipper Peter Bruce said the reality of leaving Europe had shattered his trust in Brexiteer politicians.
He said: "It's been a big disappointment, to be quite honest.
"The politicians came up from London, Boris Johnson came up a couple of times, the highest levels of government came up to Peterhead Harbour, promising this new dawn for the fishing industry. And that new dawn hasn't come."
Fishing was a key plank of the 2016 campaign, with slogans claiming Britain would "take back control of our waters" and enjoy "seas of opportunity".
It led many fishermen, particularly small-boat fishers, to back Leave, with many detesting the EU's system of quotas in its Common Fisheries Policy.
The terms of the agreement ex-PM Johnson struck with Brussels, however, did not transform the UK into the promised "independent coastal state".
Instead, significant EU access to British waters will remain until at least 2026, when the UK and Brussels will begin to negotiate fishing stocks yearly.
Peter, semi-retired skipper of the Budding Rose, said: "We were sold down the river from when we entered the CFP in Europe and we feel very, very let down again with the deal we've got.
"We must have been living in cloud cuckoo land in some ways if we expected to trust the politicians. But we take people at their word."
The Budding Rose takes most of its catch to Peterhead Fish Market, which runs five days a week and remains the biggest whitefish market in Europe, with commercial buyers purchasing their wares at its famous auction.
Peter said: "We saw it as a great opportunity to reinvigorate the industry and it hasn't happened. In my mind, we've left the CFP in name only.
STRUGGLES Fishermen Peterhead "The pelagic guys, the mackerel guys, they've gained a bit of quota. But for my type of operation, which is whitefish, fishing cod and haddock, we've gained very, very little."
Just over the road, workers at McConnell Seafoods - which fillets fish to order from the market - have a similar outlook.
Supervisor Stephen Napier said: "We went into Brexit with our eyes closed. And I think we were sold out."
The bureaucracy caused by Brexit, such as complicated paperwork and the loss of EU labour, has also been a huge headache. Stephen said: "We...
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