LILLE – French fishing officials yesterday welcomed a post-Brexit trade accord that will allow them to continue plying British waters after January 1, avoiding a “no deal” that could have threatened the livelihood of thousands.
“It’s a huge relief for fishermen – it’s a win-win deal,” Olivier Lepretre, president of the fishing committee for the northern Hauts-de-France region, told AFP.
“We’re going to lose some of our quotas, which is annoying, but it’s not a death knell.”
Access to Britain’s rich fishing waters was a major sticking point in the post-Brexit talks, and the agreement struck on Thursday will require European Union fishing vessels to relinquish 25% of their current quotas over the next 5½ years.
After that, there will be annual negotiations on the amount of fish that EU vessels can take from British waters.
Reaching an accord was seen as vital for Boulogne-sur-Mer, France’s largest fishing port, where some 5,000 jobs depend on an industry that generated revenues of €80 million (RM399 million) last year.
“The biggest worry for fishermen in Hauts-de-France, as well as the entire sector, was that we would no longer have access to British waters. That is no longer the case,” Lepretre’s vice-president, Stephane Pinto, told France 3 television.
Jean-Luc Hall, head of the national CNPMEM fisheries association, said French boats capture 30% to 70% of their hauls in British territory.
“Even if it isn’t perfect, it seems we’ll still be able to work – this gives us a little bit of visibility.”
The French government has also announced measures to support fishermen and fishmongers impacted by the deal, including up to €30,000 in individual aid over the coming years. – AFP, December 26, 2020
