Scottish Fishermen’s Federation urges decisive action as UK-EU summit looms

THE PRIME MINISTER has been warned by Scotland’s fishing leaders to defend sovereign fishing rights or risk a backlash from voters ahead of a pivotal UK-EU summit.

In a strongly worded letter, Elspeth Macdonald, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), outlined the stark imbalance in current access arrangements, warning that continued concessions to the EU would represent a political and economic betrayal of the sector.

The letter, written on behalf of SFF’s eight member associations comprising more than 400 vessels, stresses that full control over access to the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is not only standard international practice, but vital to future prosperity.

Quoting directly from the letter, Ms McDonald wrote: “In terms of financial value, the EU catches seven times more in UK waters than we catch in theirs. This demonstrates how unbalanced the current fisheries arrangements are, greatly to the EU’s advantage. This is not in the UK’s national interest.

“It is in the UK’s national interest to have full control over access to our EEZ through annual negotiations and to establish quota shares that fairly reflect the resources found in UK waters.

The letter reiterates that zonal attachment – allocating fishing opportunities based on where fish are found – has long been UK policy and was once supported by the EU before Brexit changed the terms of negotiation.  

Crucially, the SFF warns against any multi-year arrangement that grants the EU continued access to the UK’s EEZ without a substantial and proportionate transfer of quota in return.

Elspeth, who alongside colleagues from the sector has engaged extensively with the UK government over recent weeks, added: “Giving away fishing access – massively to the EU’s advantage and the UK’s disadvantage – in exchange for something that benefits both parties is not a fair trade and would be nothing but a sell-out and a betrayal of the Scottish fishing industry.”

Recent polling commissioned by the SFF backs up the message delivered in the letter. Conducted by research specialists Opinion Matters, the survey shows that 87% of Scots support full UK control over access to fishing waters, with 83% insisting the EU must offer direct benefits to Scotland’s fishing industry in return for continued access.

Support is strongest among older voters and in traditional fishing communities, such as the Highlands and Islands and North East Scotland, where more than 90% agree the UK should assert full control.

Elspeth said: “This is not simply a sectoral issue. Fishing is part of the UK’s sovereign infrastructure – economically, politically and strategically. It supports food security, creates thousands of skilled jobs, and sustains communities from Shetland to Stranraer.

“This letter gives voice to the Scottish fishing sector and the people of Scotland. The Prime Minister must show leadership and deliver a deal that puts national interest and long-term prosperity ahead of short-term trade-offs.”

The SFF is calling for the UK Government to hold firm in the upcoming talks and to honour the commitments made in the 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which placed fisheries access into the realm of annual negotiations after 2026.

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