Meeting of the Parliament 30 April 2025
I will read rhetoric from the SNP less and listen more to my constituents who want out of the common fisheries policy.
Labour members will perhaps challenge me on the Brexit deal. Perhaps they will cry that it could have been done better, but I doubt that Labour would have done better, judging by what we might be about to hear on 19 May, when Sir Keir Starmer’s planned EU-UK summit takes place in London.
I want to say this before anyone else does: when the UK signed the trade and co-operation agreement with the EU, it did not deliver a deal on fishing that met the expectations of the catching sector. However, it delivered two important things: withdrawal from the hated common fisheries policy and an opportunity to gain an even better deal in 2026-27. For years, I have felt confident saying to fishermen that those twin gains were a given. Now, however, the Labour Party is putting them in peril.
Annually, Scottish fishermen land more than 500,000 tonnes, with a value of £683 million, including £175 million-worth that is landed abroad. However, the debate is about not just the sector’s economic contribution to Scotland but its cultural one. There is a rich and deep bond between the Scottish people and our natural assets, both onshore and offshore. For many, the connection with fishing is ingrained deeply in the collective memory of the generations of family members who have lived and worked with the sea. It is in the blood.
Polling released today by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation—I thank it for this work—shows us that
“Almost nine out of 10 Scots believe the UK should definitively control which vessels fish in its waters”
and that
“87% of people believe the UK should have full powers over which fleets fish in the UK ... Exclusive Economic Zone, with just 3.2% disagreeing.”
Interestingly, that figure is high even in the central belt. That should be a wake-up call to Scottish Labour to get down to London with a clear message: this deal cannot be made; we must protect our fishing industry.
Several months ago, I asked the SNP to bring a Government debate on fishing to the chamber, recognising there has not been one in more than two years. That still has not happened. I recognise that the cabinet secretary told me before that it is going through the process, but what is taking so long?
Sadly, I do not have time to go into depth on other issues, such as the spatial squeeze; gill nets; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and the on-going discussions around inshore fisheries, scallop dredging and cockle closures. Nor do I have time to touch on significant concerns around the function of the marine directorate and marine protected areas. All of those issues lie solely within the control of the SNP Government. I believe that, if not in this parliamentary session, certainly in the next session a full and detailed review needs to be carried out in those areas.
Worryingly, I have also heard reports from the Government that it is looking to cancel the contract for marine aeroplane surveillance from its base in Inverness, with very little time for any discussion. That could potentially cost a number of jobs and would be a big blow not just to Inverness airport and jobs in the Highlands but to the fishing sector, which relies on those planes to monitor fishing in our waters.
I have written to the cabinet secretary, asking for an update on that, but, if she can give us any answers in her speech, that would be great. If those reports are true, it would be a shocking blow to marine protection in Scotland and I call on the Government to urgently rethink that decision.
I would never consider asking France for 40 per cent of its vineyards for a deal, although I enjoy its wine. The EU should not be asking us for our natural resources. It is time, once and for all, for Britain to again have a prosperous, sustainable fishing industry in our hands, with us leading negotiations on access. It is time that we stood up for our fishing sector—catching and processing—and for our coastal communities and all who know its rich history, because it is in Scotland’s DNA.
I move,
That the Parliament expresses its deep concern at reports that the UK Labour administration may agree a deal with the EU that enhances access for EU fishing vessels to UK waters; understands that the reported deal could result in a multi-year access guarantee as opposed to annual negotiations between the UK and the EU; believes that Scotland’s domestic fishing industry is a significant contributor to the economy and that every effort should be made to support it during trade negotiations; notes that the existing fisheries deal between the EU and the UK is not perfect, but that it took the sector out of the Common Fisheries Policy; acknowledges that the UK Labour administration’s potential new deal would turn a good opportunity to build on this foundation into a missed opportunity that represents a backwards step for the sector as bad as the Common Fisheries Policy; calls on the Scottish Government to drop its support for the Common Fisheries Policy and do all that it can to ensure that the UK Labour administration does not sell out the Scottish fishing industry as part of its talks with the EU, and believes that there should be an annual debate on fisheries to highlight its importance to Scotland’s economy.
16:37