UK fishing communities have urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to be brave in the Brexit negotiations to protect Britain’s waters.
Paul Lines, chairman of Lowestoft Fishing Alliance told Brexit Unlocked, that the EU fishing multi-annual agreements have decimated UK businesses.
Lines said that a fisherman in his town war forced to watch his fishing vessel be cut up due to the EU’s fishing quotas.
He said, “I watched a grown man cry because his boat was cut up for decommissioning.
“His sons worked on the boat with him and one of his cousins worked with him.
“And he had to sell that boat, the Government decommissioned that boat, they took his license, they took his boat and they cut it up for scrap metal.
“That whole family have never worked since. They had to do that under this multi-annual guidance plan.
“And that was to let the Dutch expand their fleet, let the French expand their fleet, but we decimated our fleet and there’s nothing left here anymore.
“I can’t feel sorry for (EU) people because what I feel sorry for is the poor excuse of politicians who thought that was good for Great Britain.
“That wasn’t good for Great Britain, that was the end for Great Britain.
“Until our politicians actually get and grow a set and realise that jobs are paramount to everything, with this horrible pandemic we’ve now gone through there’s nothing more apparent than you’ve got to create jobs and produce food.”
Lines told Johnson to get his act together and strike the best Brexit deal for British fisheries.
The chairman of Lowestoft Fishing Alliance added, “Until our politicians actually be brave a set and realise that jobs are paramount to everything, with this horrible pandemic we’ve now gone through there’s nothing more apparent than you’ve got to create jobs and produce food.”
A Downing Street spokesman confirmed that, “we have had useful discussions this week.
“Progress has been made in some areas, however, there still remains differences on some important issues but we remain committed to trying to agree a FTA (free trade agreement).
“We continue to want an agreement we continue to want an FTA but it is important that we can agree on some issues.”
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