UK fishermen to be hit with permanent ban on selling shellfish to EU
The UK’s fishermen have been warned they face a permanent ban of selling some types of shellfish to the EU as they no longer conform to the bloc’s safety standards.
The post-Brexit ban is set to include oysters, mussels, scallops, cockles and clams.
It comes after thousands of tonnes of British shellfish has been unable to be sold in the EU since 1 January as they do not comply with Brussels’ third-country import rules.
The UK government advised fishermen that the ban would only be until April, however Politics Home reports the European Commission has now said the ban will be indefinite.
The ruling will put many British businesses at risk of collapsing.
British fishermen produce more than 25,000 tonnes of mussels each year, with around two-thirds sold to EU countries.
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Rob Benson, a UK shellfish exporter, told The Times: “It is disastrous not just for us but the whole industry.
“We can’t change our business model and at the moment we’ve got nowhere to send our produce too.”
EU rules mandate that some types of shellfish that are imported into the bloc must either come from unpolluted waters or be purified before being sold.
UK waters do not fall into this category and most exporters used to send their produce to EU countries to get purified.
It is not cost effective to purify shellfish in the UK and sell onto the EU as the process significantly shortens the shelf life of the product.
The ruling comes after Boris Johnson last month announced fishermen would be able to apply for a grant to be compensated for Brexit disruption.
Fish and seafood exporters who have faced post-Brexit disruption at the border are be able to claim a maximum of £100,000 per business as a part of a new £23m fund.