Balearic restaurants are facing a shortage of Scottish fish as a result of red tape introduced following Brexit.
“Farmed salmon, mackerel and shellfish such as langoustines and brown crab are highly sought after and exported to the likes of Spain ,” said Denise Fraser, public relations manager for Seafish U.K. “U.K. consumer tastes mean there isn’t huge local demand for these products, preferring white fish such as cod and haddock or smaller warm water prawns and tuna.”
Many Scottish fishermen have halted exports to European Union markets after post-Brexit bureaucracy shattered the system that used to put fresh langoustines and scallops in French shops just over a day after they were harvested.
Fishing exporters said their businesses could become unviable after the introduction of health certificates, customs declarations and other paperwork added days to their delivery times and hundreds of pounds to the cost of each load.
Business owners said they had tried to send small deliveries to France and Spain to test the new systems this week but it was taking five hours to secure a health certificate in Scotland, a document which is required to apply for other customs paperwork.
In the first working week after Brexit, one-day deliveries were taking three or more days - if they got through at all.
6 comments
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What a surprise Scottish seafood made to pay for us leaving the E. U. By the French wasn't it always going to be so. It's a pity that the E. U are having difficulty abiding by the agreement they signed on Christmas eve no wonder we voted to leave.
as a transporter I can tell you first hand the amount of paperwork that is now required for any transport is ridiculous...every item has a different tax code and has to be listed with individual values for each item ...you can lose a day just doing paperwork......and on top of that customers ate just not willing to accept that they now have to pay extra vat on everything...
Ask Macron.......
Not being able to eat your favourite seafood isn’t a problem. Losing your livelihood is. I feel sorry for all the UK businesses that are now feeling the reality. The UK Govt was adamant in claiming back it’s fisheries and we all knew of the more paperwork and delay implications of any trade deal with the EU outside of the free trading zone. This is the consequence of the Hard Brexit Boris fought for. Thinking that things wouldn’t change much was deluded. And Boris et al were shamefully dishonest about it. It might well be new EU and UK rules but the UK chose this route not the EU. On the plus side the Brits can enjoy the great seafood from its waters. Oh no. Wait. As the article states. Despite having the best fishing waters in Europe the Brits mainly only like cod or haddock. Or Imported fish like tuna (in a tin?) You have to laugh or you’d cry!
What's wrong with the fish in malllorca water
EU rules and red tape causing the problem. U.K. products are as good as they were in December so why the issue. The longer the delay in delivery the poorer the delivered fish will be. Spain needs to cut the tape and let buyers and sellers just do business. Where else can Spain get the products from if not the U.K. and particularly Scotland. Self harm is not a virtue.