Taskforce 'too late' to help Scottish seafood exporters
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A TASKFORCE created to mitigate the impact of Brexit on the Scottish seafood industry has been branded as too little, too late.
The SNP candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Karen Adam, has demanded that the UK Conservative government take action to help protect the country's "neglected" fishermen.
In the face of increased costs, more red tape and produce rotting on the back of lorries waiting to gain entry to the EU, a ‘seafood taskforce’ is set up in the Scotland Office, headed up by Scotland Office Minister David Duguid.
Ms Adam blasted the taskforce as coming "one month too late" and branded Mr Duguid "clueless".
She continued: “At a time when the Tories should be focusing on sorting out the challenges being faced by Scotland’s fishing communities it is having endless discussions when it should be taking tangible action to protect the industry.
“It has been more than a month since the end of the transition period and what the Tories arrogantly dismiss as ‘teething problems’ continue for Scottish exporters. David Duguid is completely clueless as to the issues being faced by exporters in his own constituency.
“Scotland’s fisheries have been completely neglected by the Tories since the end of the transition period and it demonstrates the priorities of Westminster that this taskforce will only meet every fortnight.
“Fishermen do not have a fortnight to wait to fix these problems, they need support now.
“That is why the Scottish Government has stepped in to provide much-needed support for businesses by investing £7.75 million to mitigate some of the harm caused and provided funding for two Brexit supervisors to be taken on at Seafood Scotland. The Tories cannot be trusted to protect Scotland’s fishing industry.”
However, the Scottish Conservative candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast Mark Findlater described Ms Adam's claims as "incoherent rubbish".
He said: “The UK government has already announced a £23 million fund to compensate seafood exporters affected by hold-ups which were largely at the Central Belt hub set up by the Scottish Government.
“SNP Ministers were also invited to join the seafood taskforce, but so far have failed to do so.
“Rather than doing their bit to help, the SNP are sniping from the sidelines, as usual.
“And we all know that the only priority of the Nationalists is breaking up the UK and re-joining the EU, which would mean dragging our fishermen back into the disastrous Common Fisheries Policy.”
