After months of campaigning from the NFFO, the government is considering changing the rules on medical certificates for small boat fishers.
Today, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has announced that it is consulting on a change to its regulations on medical certificates for fishers. The consultation asks whether existing fishers working on boats under 10m registered length should be exempted from the requirement to hold a medical fitness certificate.
You can find a link to the consultation here: Medical Exemption – Existing Fishers on Vessels of 10 Metres and Under – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
For months, the NFFO has campaigned for the medical certification regulations to be changed. Until now, the Department for Transport has insisted that this would not happen. Our persistence has paid off, though and they are now considering a change to the one of the most damaging aspects of those rules.
There is still a lot to be clarified, however. The NFFO highlighted the harm that these regulations were causing and called for exactly this exemption, months before the rules came into force on 30th November. If the DfT changes its mind now and brings in this sensible exemption for the under 10m fleet, will they reimburse all those who paid out to get a certificate that they no longer need just a few weeks later? Many under 10m fishers are still waiting to have their medical assessment appointments. Are they really expected to go ahead with them while this consultation is ongoing? What about the other issues with the regulations and inconsistency with other industries (it’s still harder to get a medical certificate to work on a fishing boat than to drive a bus)?
Anyone who admits that they have got something wrong and tries to put it right should be applauded and this consultation and the change that it could bring about are very welcome news. Surely, though, the issues that it highlights demonstrate that it is time to pause the operation of the regulations altogether and order a full and independent expert review.
The outcome of that review can only be rules that are better formulated to ensure that fishers are safe at sea and that fishing businesses can keep providing jobs and food. Why would anyone object to that?