Marine / ‘Unfair’ fishery fund allocation ‘another bitter blow for Scotland’s fishermen’
ISLES MP Alistair Carmichael has described news Scotland will receive just eight per cent of funding from a new £360 million UK fishing and coastal growth fund as “utterly baffling”.
The fund, announced earlier this week and without prior notification to the industry, has been set up to cushion some of the consequences of allowing EU vessel to fish in UK waters until at least 2038.
The allocation of funds to the four nations follows the Barnet formula, something that has been condemned as “grossly unfair” by the Scottish fishing industry.
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Elspeth Macdonald said the access to UK waters will allow EU vessels to take fish worth £6 billion.
In return, Scotland is set to receive just £28 million from the fund – meaning £304 million will be allocated to England.
“This is a grossly unfair division when Scotland comprises by far the largest part of the UK fishing industry, routinely accounting for around 60 per cent of landings by both tonnage and value,” she said.
Macdonald said previously Scotland’s share of fisheries fund allocation had been set at 47 per cent, but due to a “opaque change in policy”, this has now been reduced to eight per cent “at the stroke of a pen and with no discussion”.
“It’s hard to feel that this government cares one jot about the Scottish fishing industry,” she added.
“Sold out by the PM through the EU re-set, told that we would have this fund to help support the industry for the future, only now to find that Scotland’s share is close to derisory. This is another bitter blow to for Scotland’s fishermen.”
Shetland Fishermen’s Association executive officer Sheila Keith said: “This allocation is not just inadequate – it’s a betrayal of Scotland’s fishing communities.
“The Shetland fishermen, like others across Scotland, contribute significantly to the UK’s seafood economy. Yet we’ve been handed a dismal fraction of the support we need to modernise and sustain our industry.
“This is not just a disappointment, it’s a disgrace,” Keith continued. “Scotland’s fishing communities, particularly in Shetland, have long been the backbone of the UK’s seafood sector. To allocate us a token share of this fund is to ignore both our contribution and our needs.”
Carmichael added: “It seems utterly baffling for the government to allocate less than a tenth of the fishing and coastal growth fund to Scottish communities.
“When our fishing industry delivers more than half of the UK value of landings on its own, something is surely out of skew here.”
The Orkney and Shetland MP added: “Let us be clear: this fund was only announced because the government felt they had to be seen to do something for fishermen after the disastrous extension of current access arrangements with the EU to 2038.
“To turn around now and say that the most significant fishing communities in the country will not receive their fair economic share of that fund just piles insult upon injury.
“This decision is unjust, inadequate, and deeply disappointing. The rhetoric of fairness and renewal for coastal communities is simply not matched by reality.
“Past Tory governments failed to protect the fishing interests of Scotland, and it appears that this Labour government is going to be no different.”
In announcing the details of the fund, UK fisheries minister Dame Angela Eagle said on Monday: “Supporting devolved governments with this new funding will help get the money to where it’s most needed, so the sector can thrive for generations to come.”
Scotland office minister Kirsty McNeill added: “Scotland’s fisheries sector and our coastal communities are hugely important and this new £28 million UK Government investment will help deliver a bright, sustainable future for the fishing industry and those who live on our coast by improving infrastructure, creating jobs and boosting investment in skills.”
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