Fishermen have no-deal Brexit exporting concerns

Fishermen have no-deal Brexit exporting concerns

Around 80 per cent of shellfish caught by Channel Island fishermen are currently shipped to France to be sold,
with much of it going to Granville.

In the event of a no-deal Brexit, any animal products must pass through a border inspection post – a station manned by vets to ensure products coming from ‘third countries’ comply with animal health rules.

However, Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, said that no border inspection posts – including the one which is due to be implemented in St Malo – are within the reach of Jersey’s fishing fleet.

‘That [the St Malo BIP] is obviously very good news in terms of exporting products,’ he said.

‘It is obviously an important step and it is the first bit of progress that we have had during the whole Brexit process but it still does not allow us to make our day-to-day landings in Granville, which are much more important.

‘Granville itself recognises the importance of trade with Jersey and their port has seen about an 80 per cent increase in items coming from the Island over the last ten years.’

Mr Thompson added that he was sceptical about any border inspection post being set up in the small Normandy port.

‘I do not think there will be a BIP in Granville. I was reading that to set one of these up it requires an investment of anything up to a couple of million euros. You need a lot of staff – customs officers, vet services – a lot of those are already in place in St Malo, but Granville does not have the scope to do that,’ he said.

‘But they have been very positive about this and are keen to find a solution and I am hopeful something will come out of that.’

The fisherman also said that he and a number of others did not want to send their produce to St Malo by ship.

He explained: ‘The thing about St Malo is that it is beyond the access of the majority of the fleet – the boats are just not big enough.

‘The underlying amount of fish that goes to St Malo from Jersey goes through export merchants by ship.

‘Those merchants are a crucial part of the chain, but in my 35 years in business I have never used one, as I am capable of doing it myself and negotiating my own prices. It is just not for everybody.’

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