Scott Mann has led a debate in Parliament to discuss the effects of Brexit on fishing and farming in the South West, during which he called on the Government to introduce new “British” policies for the two sectors.
Titled ‘Effects of the UK leaving the EU on agriculture and fishing in the South West’, the debate was secured by Scott and was held in Westminster Hall.
Opening today's debate, Scott said farmers and fisherman were the “beating heart” of the South West’s economy who have “suffered under the EU”. The MP for North Cornwall said leaving the EU would offer “more freedom and prosperity” for farmers and fisherman.
Also present were MPs from across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Bristol, Dorset and Wiltshire as well as a Government Minister.
Addressing South West colleagues, Scott Mann said he wanted to see new policies in place that listen to farmers and fisherman and which would instil more confidence both during and after Brexit.
Scott Mann said:
“In place of the EU’s common agricultural and fisheries policies, I would like to see a British agricultural policy and a British fisheries policy.
“It is imperative that we continue to guarantee farm subsidies and I was pleased that the Chancellor has done so until 2020, which gives south-west farmers some much needed certainty.
“Farm payments must be processed faster … I have had so many farmers complain to me about the Rural Payments Agency and the penalties that are imposed on them without any prior communication or justification.”
Scott said that a British agricultural policy “should champion agricultural employment, with joined-up initiatives from Whitehall for young and unemployed people to help them find work on farms”. He also said that regulations such as the Three Crop Rule or the ban against burying dead livestock must end.
In the medium term, Scott stressed that EU workers must continue to be allowed to work on farms through specific work visas. He also said more British food should be procured for public sector workers instead of relying on imports.
Moving to fishing, Scott said “the EU’s awful Common Fisheries Policy” should be torn up and replaced with a British replacement.
Specifically, Scott said Britain should take back full control of its territorial waters up to the 200 mile limit from the shore as recognised by the United Nations.
Scott Mann said:
“Our south-west fishermen have felt like second-class citizens for far too long. We absolutely must stop that. British fishermen must be given priority, in parallel with the UK Government overseeing the management and conservation of fish stocks and quotas.
“Currently, the fishermen in the south-west are getting a very raw deal. For example, of the 4,500 tonnes of cod that can be landed, our fisherman only get 8%, while French boats get 74%; and of the 7,200 tonnes of haddock that can been landed, we only get 10%, while the French receive 67%.
“Those are not isolated examples—the same can be said for pollock, plaice, sole, hake and whiting.”
Concluding his speech, Scott said:
“We need our farmers and fishermen in the south-west to have confidence in the process as we withdraw ourselves from the European Union. In the short term, we need to build confidence as an existing member.
“In the medium term, we need to lay out how we will secure and enhance our fishing and farming sectors. In the long term, we need policies in place that are more democratic and supportive, where our fishing and farming voices can be heard, and which are fully accountable to this place, Westminster, and not to Brussels.
“There is so much potential for our farming and fishing sectors in the south-west. Over the next two years, I look forward to hearing how the Government plan to give a fairer deal and how we can grow our economy in the south-west as a result.”
Responding to MPs, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey, said there was a “priority is to ensure that we leave the European Union in the best way for the United Kingdom … ensuring that our farming and fisheries sectors have a vibrant future”.
The Minister said the Government was developing two 25-year plans for both the environment and for food and farming, and that the Government is “committed to supporting the fishing industry so that it becomes more economically and environmentally sustainable”.
Therese Coffey also said that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU presents Britain “with an opportunity to improve the way waters around the whole of the UK are managed”.
Concluding, the Minister said that DEFRA was working with the Department for Exiting the European Union as Britain nears the point of triggering Article 50.
