Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation met Environment Secretary Michael Gove to discuss no-deal Brexit planning.
Representatives of Scotland’s seafood sector met Michael Gove MP, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and senior officials in London today (Thurs) to discuss planning for a potential no-deal Brexit.
The UK will almost certainly have a new prime minister in the next few weeks – conversative frontrunner Boris Johnson is set upon leaving on October 31 without a deal. The UK voted to leave in 2016.
SSPO Director of Strategic Engagement Hamish Macdonell said: “Scottish seafood rightly enjoys an enviable reputation for quality and availability in European markets. As representatives of all seafood sectors, farmed and caught, we made it clear to the UK government that we are determined to ensure this continues, even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
“We held a constructive meeting with Mr Gove and his senior officials and while we appreciate the preparatory work that has been already been undertaken, we believe more has to be done to protect seafood exports to the continent if no Brexit deal is agreed.”
In January, the Scottish Salmon Producers Association joined leading bodies representing Scotland’s GBP 14 billion farming, food and drink industry in rejecting a “potentially catastrophic impact of not reaching any deal”.
