News

British fishermen angry and betrayed over post-Brexit trade deal

Published

5 years ago

December 30, 2020

A FISHING INDUSTRY leader said he felt “angry, disappointed and betrayed” by the post-Brexit trade deal agreed by Boris Johnson, which he warned would force some firms out of business.

Barrie Deas, the chief executive, said that there was growing disappointment and frustration in the industry – with many fishers furious that EU boats will be able to fish up to six miles off the coast of Britain.

Andrew Locker, chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), added to the criticism, and said many fishing businesses would be “absolutely worse off by this deal”

Mr Locker who himself runs two boats said: “I don’t know how the hell we’re going to get through 2021. We used to swap the quota we didn’t want with the French and Germans didn’t want. That enabled us to put together a fishing plan. This year we’re going to be woefully short of the amount of saithe, hake and cod we can catch. I am angry, disappointed and betrayed.

There is anger that the “marginal” gains on the share of fish that the UK fleet will be allowed to catch may be outweighed by the end of the system of quota-swapping, which has until now enabled deals to be made between British boats and their European counterparts on mainland Europe.

This is despite The Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove saying this week that the UK had struck the “best possible” deal for the UK fishing industry, as a whole.

Gove argued that at present British fishermen were entitled to about half the fish in UK waters but by 2026 this will increase to two-thirds.

The agreement, released on Boxing Day morning, contains numerous pages dedicated entirely to fishing policy in the UK and EU’s new relationship, and asserts the “sovereign rights” of EU states and the UK “for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the living resources in their waters”.

However it also includes a line on “the social and economic benefits of a further period of stability, during which fishers would be permitted until June 30 2026 to continue to enter the waters of the other party”.

Mr Locker said he was not aware of any allowance in the trade deal for UK firms to trade fish quotas with EU countries, which is a crucial part of how the industry manages its catch.

He said many fishing firms would go out of business by the end of the transition in 2026, telling the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “We are really, really going to struggle this

Mr Locker added: “When Boris Johnson and his government promised Brexit to the fishermen, he promised none of us would be worse off. And I can sit here now and tell you there is a considerable amount of fishing industry representatives and people, fishermen, small families, small communities, absolutely worse off by this deal.”

He said UK negotiators had won a “fraction” of the fishing quotas they had promised and warned about the prospect of having to revisit the deal when the transition period ends in 2026, describing it as a “can of worms”.

“When we were within the EU we used to trade fish with the EU and we used to swap fish that we didn’t use with fish they didn’t use, and that enabled us to put together an annual fishing plan,” he said. “What we’ve got now is a fraction of what we were promised through Brexit, a fraction of the fish we need to fish our annual fisheries plan through Brexit.”

A senior member of the UK’s negotiating team defended the agreement, and described fish as “one of the areas where we had to compromise somewhat”, but said this had been done by “both sides”.

The official said: “The crucial thing on fisheries policy is that although there is a transition, at the end of the transition it returns to normal arrangements, and we have full control over our waters.

“There’s a transition to that point and ideally we would’ve got out of it a bit faster, but where we’ve got to is acceptable and offers gains for the fisheries industry in the short run and a huge right to control everything and work within that after this five-and-a-half-year transition.”

Crime

Waste dumped at recycling centre leads police to drug factory near Cardigan

Published

9 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Man jailed after drug discovery sparked by vigilant staff

A TIP-OFF from staff at an Aberystwyth recycling centre has led to the discovery of a large cannabis factory in a derelict property near Cardigan — and landed a 20-year-old man behind bars.

Manuel Nerguti was sentenced to six months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (July 11) after pleading guilty to producing a class B drug.

The court heard that on May 1 this year, workers at the Aberystwyth recycling centre reported a suspicious delivery: four to five bags of cannabis stalks, apparently dumped by men in a hired Ford Transit van.

Police acted quickly and intercepted the van later that afternoon on the road between Aberystwyth and Cardigan. Nerguti and two other men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, but were released without charge at the time, as no grow site had been located.

However, a month later, acting on new intelligence, Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at a derelict house in Bridell, near Cardigan. Inside, they discovered a sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation: 260 mature plants spread across five rooms and an attic, with the electricity supply illegally bypassed.

During the raid on June 7, Nerguti attempted to flee but was found hiding behind a washing machine in the garage.

He was charged and later pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.

Detective Constable Sam Garside, who led the investigation, praised the recycling centre staff for their quick thinking.

He said: “This result is thanks to the staff at the recycling centre for recognising that criminal activity was taking place and for alerting police quickly.

“We rely on the public to inform us of anything suspicious going on in their communities and we encourage people to get in touch if they suspect anything. We were able to use our local knowledge and police intelligence to execute a successful warrant and shut down an illegal cannabis factory.

“We are committed to continuing our drug operations across Dyfed-Powys and bringing offenders like Nerguti to justice.”

Police estimate the cannabis seized had a potential street value of up to £242,000.

More information on Operation Scotney — Dyfed-Powys Police’s campaign to tackle cannabis cultivation — including how to spot signs of a drug grow, can be found on their website.

News

Pembrokeshire County Council group to review ‘climate emergency’

Published

9 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for a group to review Pembrokeshire County Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency some six years ago has been backed by councillors.

In May 2019, the council declare a climate emergency following a notice of motion by Cllr Joshua Beynon calling on the authority to back the global consensus that climate change poses a risk to the well-being of future generations.

He had urged county councillors to back a motion to take “bold, decisive action” to fight “truly, catastrophic” climate change.

He called on the council to commit to becoming a zero-carbon local authority by 2030.

At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a notice of motion by Cllr Mike Stoddart called for the establishment of a working group to review the decision made by the council to declare a climate change emergency.

Cllr Stoddart’s motion said: “Given the turbulence on the global financial markets; the parlous state of the UK’s public finances; Pembrokeshire County Council’s projected funding gap; and the government’s softening of its policies on the switch to EV vehicles and heat pumps, this council establishes a seven person, politically balanced working group to review the authority’s decision to declare a climate emergency at its meeting on May 9, 2019.

“The working group will be asked to: (a) examine the effect of the emergency declaration on the level of council tax in Pembrokeshire and particularly the extent to which any such increases militate against the authority’s anti-poverty policies.

“(b) The cost of decarbonising the council’s housing stock and the effect this has had on the authority’s ability to finance the building of new housing.

“(c) The extent to which the council’s decarbonisation programme has contributed to a reduction of the risk of runaway global temperature increases, and (d) any other effects that the working group considers may have adversely impacted the wellbeing of the residents of Pembrokeshire.”

Cllr Stoddart’s notice of motion was previously supported at the June meeting of the council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee, with a recommendation to full council in July meeting, to reinstate the Net Zero Working Group to review the contents of the notice of motion and, subject to the outcome of this review, review the future delivery of the Net Zero Action Plan.

Cllr Stoddart’s call was backed by Cllr Steve Alderman, and Cllr Rhys Jordan, who said: “I fully support this, it couldn’t come sooner; around England and Wales councils are looking at this, there’s been a huge push for a ‘net zero’ agenda at any cost, I don’t think we’re in a position to drive that.”

Cllr Aaron Carey said: “We’ve set ourselves some lofty goals, but we haven’t got the money to back it up.”

Members overwhelmingly agreed to back the June committee recommendations.

News

Urgent appeal to save 1,000 hens in Pembrokeshire and beyond

Published

12 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Tom Sinclair

British Hen Welfare Trust seeks homes before Friday deadline

AN URGENT appeal has been launched to find homes for more than 1,000 hens due to be rehomed next weekend – including from a rescue centre in Boncath, Pembrokeshire.

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is coordinating the rehoming effort on Saturday (July 26), aiming to rescue ex-caged hens from slaughter and instead place them into loving homes. The appeal also covers rehoming centres in Locking, near Bristol, and Kineton in Warwickshire.

The charity says the hens have come to the end of their commercial egg-laying lives, but remain healthy and can thrive as pets. However, they must be rehomed by Friday (July 25) to avoid being needlessly killed.

“This is a time-sensitive and visual story that resonates locally,” said Andy Hill, Marketing & Communications Officer for the BHWT. “These hens have worked hard their whole lives and deserve a second chance.”

The organisation recently marked the rehoming of its one millionth hen – which was adopted by King Charles III – and the upcoming effort is part of its continued mission to improve hen welfare across the UK.

Local spokespeople are available for interview, and high-resolution images are available for media use.

For more information or to register interest in adopting hens, visit: www.bhwt.org.uk

Image for illustration purposes only