Brexit red tape has cost Scottish salmon sector £12m so far
Trade body renews call for Defra to make it easier to export to EU
Bureaucracy created by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union has cost the Scottish salmon industry an estimated £12 million since the beginning of 2020, trade body Salmon Scotland has said.
And it has urged politicians to speed up efforts to make exports to the EU easier.
“Four years on since Brexit, our farmers continue to face excessive red tape, while progress at smoothing trade flow and opening new markets remains painfully slow,” said Salmon Scotland chief executive Tavish Scott.
Salmon Scotland has been working with the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to get more done about market access and procedures.
Swifter action
Scott has now raised the need for swifter government-wide action with the Scotland Office, where ministers have actively and enthusiastically supported the sector’s sustainable growth.
“Defra ministers need to urgently prioritise the UK’s largest food export, and I will be enlisting further support from other parts of government,” said Scott.
“International demand for Scottish salmon, rightly considered the best in the world, is incredibly high – and with less bureaucracy we could further grow exports.
“This in turn would generate millions of pounds for the Scottish and UK economies.”
Electronic EHCs
Post-Brexit paperwork is estimated to cost the salmon sector £3m per year.
One of the measures creating red tape is the lack of electronic certification (eCertification) for export health certificates (EHCs), and issues with the current outdated system. EHCs have been required for food exports since Brexit.
Salmon producers say they are willing to work with the UK Government to put in place any measures that make it easier to export their product to Europe, and have already piloted a successful electronic EHC system which shows what can be achieved.
