Fishermen from across the EU have said they are delighted with Keir Starmer's UK-EU trade deal, which critics have accused the Prime Minister of “selling out” Britain’s fishing industry.
The UK secured a 12-year fishing agreement with the European Union, allowing foreign industry to have access to the UK’s coastal waters.
Despite criticism from British fishery and political opposition, Olivier Lepretre, the president of the Hauts-de-France regional fisheries committee, told the France3 television channel: “We couldn’t have hoped for better.”
“We are very satisfied and relieved. This changes a lot of things. If we no longer had access to British waters, we would have suffered a significant loss of revenue. We had a completely blocked horizon, and this agreement gives us visibility.”
Fishermen from across the EU have said they are delighted with Keir Starmer's UK-EU trade deal, which critics have accused the Prime Minister of “selling out” Britain’s fishing industry
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The original post-Brexit fishing deal offered the EU five years of access to UK waters and was set to expire next year.
Boris Johnson, who previously negotiated the deal, slammed the new arrangements and highlighted that next January, the UK would have access to take back control of large swathes of its coastal waters.
Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the French minister for ecological transition, the sea and fisheries said: "This is excellent news for our fishermen.”
European fishermen piled on praise for Paris and Brussels for their negotiations with the UK, with Spain having 40 vessels fishing in British waters, which Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany also fish.
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The original post-Brexit fishing deal offered the EU five years of access to UK waters and was set to expire next year
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Ivan Lopez van der Veen, the vice-chairman of Spain’s Cepesca fishing confederation, said: “This was the best deal we could get."
He added: “We had no expectation of increasing our quotas. For the sector, I think it is the best possible outcome. It allows for stability and to reinvigorate the fleet. We would have liked it to be a permanent agreement, but 12 years is a good basis for joint management of those waters, as we have always done.
“I cheer for all members that pushed for a deal. We have 27 states, and they are all playing for the EU.”
Svend-Erik Andersen, the chairman of the Danish fisheries association, said: “We are pleased that the highest level in the EU recognises that fishing is an important industry for all of Europe.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer poses with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) and European Council President Antonio Costa ahead of the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster HousePABrexiteers have described the arrangement as a “surrender”, with Nigel Farage suggesting it could even be “the end” of Britain’s fishing industry.
Elspeth MacDonald, who serves as chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, even described the accord as a “horror show”.
Starmer defended the deal, claiming it was good for British fishermen because it offered them long-term stability and did not increase European catch quotas.
Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, insisted fishermen had lost “absolutely nothing” in the EU agreement.
Starmer’s Government is also looking to invest £360million into Britain’s fishing industry - with a particular focus on new technology, supporting tourism and boosting seafood exports.
