Scepticism over UK-EU deal to ease Manx fishing pressures

The Isle of Man's fishing industry could benefit from a proposed UK-EU agreement to remove post-Brexit checks on food exports, while concerns remain over whether it will significantly reduce costs for local businesses.

The draft so-called sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, expected to form a major part of the forthcoming UK-EU summit, aims to cut red tape imposed on exporters after the UK exited the single market.

On the Isle of Man, about 97% of commercial fishing production is exported, predominantly to Europe via the UK.

Manx Fish Producers Organisation (MFPO) chief executive David Beard said he feared that "once red tape is in, it's very, very difficult to remove it again".

He said Brexit had created significantly more administration, health checks and certification requirements, making exports increasingly expensive and time-consuming.

"There are huge difficulties with sending out to Europe now. The difficulty has become the border checks, mainly in Europe, but it's also the costs of actually shipping there and the costs of the administration and health certification."

Beard added that Manx seafood shipments had previously been stopped at EU borders because of paperwork errors which may have occurred elsewhere in shipments with both UK and Manx products.

He said he hoped the proposed deal would help prevent such problems in the future.

Beard explained that the fishing industry was the Isle of Man's largest food exporter, with king scallops worth about 70% of its overall income.

While stock levels were healthy, Beard said the industry faced mounting financial pressures from rising fuel, transportation and operating costs.

Beard said king scallop stocks had increased by five times in the past six years.

But while wholesale prices for scallops sold into European markets had remained the same for five years, other costs, like fuel and transportation, had risen significantly, he said.

Beard said some processors had already started freezing scallops rather than selling them fresh, hoping that prices will rise and/or fuel costs will fall.

He said that while the island was seen as a "benchmark for the rest of the UK" for stock levels and management, the rest of the situation "is challenging for us".

The draft agreement would see the UK align with relevant EU food safety and animal and plant health regulations, potentially removing the need for costly export health certificates and reducing border inspections.

Beard said he would welcome this if it makes exporting to European markets easier, but warned that the benefits for the island were not yet clear.

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