News - Page 6 of 40

“Miniscule, Marginal, Paltry, Pathetic”

26 December 2020

Some of the adjectives that will be in circulation within the UK fishing industry today, to describe the change in UK quota shares as the UK leaves the EU and the CFP, and the content of what was agreed in Brussels on Christmas eve sinks in. Some of the bell-weather stocks tell the story most vividly, After a further five years adjustment period, the UK’s share of Channel cod will have increased from 9.3% to 10.2%.

Fisheries Deal 24th December 2020

24 December 2020

The NFFO will be publishing its reaction shortly to the deal concluded in Brussels this afternoon. In the meantime, please find below, our bare bones understanding of the content of the fisheries section of the agreement.

11th Hour

22 December 2020

The NFFO reiterates what is at stake as negotiations with the EU reach the inevitable endgame

No Deal looms without a major EU shift on fish

18 December 2020

Negotiations remain on knife-edge

Fatal Miscalculation

11 December 2020

A huge miscalculation lies at the heart of the EU’s negotiating strategy as we now head, apparently inexorably, into a future relationship unmediated by an overall framework agreement. The EU have made the assumption that because the EU is a regulatory superpower and because trading on WTO terms would be disadvantageous for the UK, the UK would back down on fish. This conviction has informed the EU’s negotiating mandate from the outset and its unwillingness to negotiate seriously throughout long weeks where talks have produced nothing tangible.

The Fathom Podcast

8 December 2020

The weekly Fathom Podcast, hosted by NFFO member organisation, the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, has rapidly established itself as a must-listen venue for those who want to know what is going on in fishing - from the horse’s mouth - so to speak.

Boris Johnson’s Edward Heath Moment

5 December 2020

The NFFO takes stock of the negotiations for a UK/EU fisheries deal, after the remaining issues blocking a deal have been elevated to the political realm

Dave Bevan (1947-2020)

1 December 2020

We are sad to learn that our friend and colleague, and General Manager of NFFO Services Limited, Dave Bevan, has passed away after a short illness and Covid related complications. Dave took over the Services mantle from George Traves MBE, who had established the Federation’s commercial division in 1984. From January 1995 to his retirement in December 2011 Dave took the company to new strengths.

Fisheries science data collection programme calls on industry for support

19 November 2020

Volunteer skippers fishing out of England and Wales are needed to contribute to fisheries data usually collected by scientific observers. Current Covid-19 restrictions mean that Cefas fisheries observers are not able to board commercial fishing vessels to go to sea. This partnership with industry will build on pilots commencing this month with the Northeast trawl fleet, Southeast netter fleet and Southwest beamer fleet.

Preparing for the end of the transition period

19 November 2020

The top team at the Marine Management Organisation use the Fathom broadcast to discuss preparations for the end of the transition period on 31st December 2020.

Myth and Bluster

18 November 2020

The NFFO responds to an article in the Irish Times that asserts the UK position in negotiations is based on "myth-making and bluster" as it seeks to reset its fisheries relationship with the EU.

Fisheries Act 2020

13 November 2020

The Fisheries Bill, after a long and at times tortuous journey, has successfully completed its final parliamentary scrutiny stage. The House of Lords accepted the amendments made in the House of Commons and didn’t pass any further amendments of their own. In truth the House of Lords had run out of constitutional ways to shape the legislation.

Fishing Goes to the Wire

30 October 2020

As negotiations between the UK and the EU on a future partnership agreement move into their final stages, the NFFO takes stock and reaffirms the fishing industry’s aims.

Macron shift signals start of real fishing talks

19 October 2020

The legal and political realities confronting the EU on fishing have been finally acknowledged by President Macron, in the wake of last week’s EU summit. In a statement reported by a number of news outlets he: “conceded that the post-Brexit arrangements for British seas would not maintain the status quo for the EU fishing fleet.”

Hard – But Brittle

17 October 2020

By creating an artificial linkage between fisheries and a trade agreement, the EU has ensured that the negotiations on a future UK/EU relationship are going down to the wire. Boris Johnson cannot renege on his commitments to the UK fishing industry without devastating political fallout; and there are absolutely no signs that anyone in the British cabinet, or the UK negotiating team, even thinks that this is an option.

NFFO Changes at the Top

13 October 2020

Andrew Locker has moved into the NFFO hotseat as Chairman of the NFFO, and Andrew Pascoe has been elevated from the Chairman’s role to become President of the NFFO.

Chairman’s Report 2020

13 October 2020

We live in momentous times. 2020 will be remembered as the year of the pandemic. It will also be recorded also as a turning point in the history of the UK fishing industry, as we prepare for our future as an independent coastal state outside the Common Fisheries Policy.

Opinion Piece

9 October 2020

Barrie Deas Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations Why the UK won’t back down on fisheries

UK Fishing Industry to Government and Parliament: “Hold Firm and Keep Your Promises to Fishermen”

7 October 2020

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, who together represent the UK fishing industry, held talks with senior UK politicians today (07 October) calling on them to hold firm on the commitments made to fishermen and coastal communities ahead of the 15 October Brexit negotiations deadline.

Endgame

6 October 2020

The ninth round of negotiations with the EU has now concluded. It was followed by a weekend call between the Prime Minister and EU Commission President, Ursula von der Lyon, to take stock before the next and possibly final stage.

NFFO Welcomes UK/Norway Fisheries Agreement

30 September 2020

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation has welcomed the signature of a fisheries framework agreement between UK and Norway. The agreement was signed by Secretary of State, George Eustice, and the Norwegian Fisheries Minister, Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen today. This development is another important milestone towards the UK’s future as an independent coastal state.

Trade Offs and Maturity

22 September 2020

Mature and responsible fisheries management frequently requires necessary trade-offs between different objectives. By weighing the pros and cons and using the best available evidence, it is possible to edge towards the best all-round outcomes, gaining here, sacrificing there. It is what adults do every day of their lives after they learn, quite early on that “you can’t have it all.”

Fishing Centre Stage in EU Negotiations

14 September 2020

Negotiations with the EU have bounced back centre stage, as time to reach an agreement of the UK’s future relationship with the EU runs out. Both parties have said that mid-October is the latest point that a deal could be signed in time for the ratification procedures to take place before the end of the transition period on 31st December.

Joint statement from SFF and NFFO on Brexit negotiations

4 September 2020

Elspeth Macdonald and Barrie Deas, chief executives of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) respectively, said: “For the fishing industry in the UK, leaving the Common Fisheries Policy has always been about redressing a fundamental issue: the woefully unfair allocation of quota shares in our waters, where the EU fleet has an unfettered right of access to the UK’s rich fishing grounds and fish five times more in UK waters than we fish in theirs.