Filey MP: Businesses have to adjust to new ways of working post-Brexit
Filey's MP has been giving his thoughts on the fishing industry more than a month after the UK left the European Union.
Filey's MP has been giving his thoughts on the fishing industry more than a month after the UK left the European Union.
We told you last week about a business in Bridlington closing down after 40 years of selling crab and lobster to the EU.
Kevin Hollinrake said:
"There has been issues with Brexit and issues at the border in terms of food and shellfish exports etc, and we need to resolve that but also, we need to eat more of our own. We've had this situation in the past where we've exported loads of stuff and imported lots of other stuff. Well I think it's time to look at that again.
"We tried a relationship based on common standards with Theresa May and it wouldn't get through Parliament. You can blame whoever you want for that, I voted for that deal every time, and that would have meant the fishing business in Bridlington would not have gone out of business but we would have had to follow EU rules. Did we want that? Well of course we don't want that.
"This was always going to be a very thorny problem so it will be a situation where business and consumers will have to do things differently. We should be buying more British and local produce and that will help our local businesses.
"I think there will be some modest improvements but I don't think there's a real imperative for the European Union to do the sensible thing. I mean at the moment, our standards are exactly the same as the standards before we left the European Union, so I don't think there will be a major change. I think businesses will have to adjust to the new way of working.
"Part of the reason we left the European Union was common fishery policy and it contributed to that massive devastation of fishing fleets on the east coast. We're getting 25% more quota back. So there'll be some period of adjustment and we should support those businesses through this, and the Government has put more money in to do that. I didn't meet any fisherman prior to Brexit who were in favour of remaining.
"Part of the deal we have with the European Union is tariff free, quota free trade on fish and fishing products. The difficulty is the checks at the borders and we need to streamline those checks and get businesses more used to using them. So it will get back to a point where you can export, but it will never be as easy as it was. We're not part of the single market now and we're not part of the customs union."