Brexit: Shellfish lorries park near Downing Street as new rules cause severe delays at EU border

Lorries used to transport British shellfish have parked on the roads near Downing Street in protest over delays getting into the EU due to new Brexit rules.

At least 10 large lorries were parked up, with one carrying the slogan “Brexit Carnage” as shellfish companies protested against severe delays transporting their produce to the EU following a change in rules.

Another said: “Incompetent Government Destroying Shellfish Industry!”

Police were asking the drivers for their details.

Over the past few days there has been a suggestion that drivers will dump their wasted stock outside Downing Street, but so far the lorries have remained closed.

Many Scottish and Welsh fishermen have been unable to export their stocks to Europe since the start of the year after the introduction of catch certificates, health checks and customs declarations have meant lengthy delays getting into the EU.

European buyers have been rejecting their catches as they are taking too long to get to them, costing producers tens of thousands of pounds per lorry in some cases.

Gary Hodgson, a director of Venture Seafoods, which exports live and processed crabs and lobsters to the EU and was one of the companies with trucks parked near Downing Street.

He said: “We strongly feel the system could potentially collapse.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson needs to be honest with us, with himself and with the British public about the problems for
the industry.”

He added that he had cancelled several lorries since December due to the arduous red tape now involved with exporting to the EU.

One operator, he said, needed 400 pages of export documentation last week to board a ferry to the EU.

Those at the protest said the government needed to understand the severity of the problems they face and the impact on coastal communities, many who rely on seafood sales to the EU to survive.

They want a more workable system and say there is a shortage of custom agents on both sides of the Channel.

“Many fishing communities did vote to leave but I don’t think anyone who did anticipated being constrained by documentation and restrictions that have now been thrust upon us,” Mr Hodgson said.

“We need to bring the country together now and find workable solutions to limit the damage to the economy and to protect jobs.”

The seafood industry has warned fishing businesses could collapse within days, but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Sunday said the delays were just “teething problems”.

He told the BBC he was “not convinced” the delays were because of the government’s trade deal with the EU and argued it will “create huge, sustainable opportunities” for the sector.

Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a committee of MPs that fishing businesses would be compensated for what he described as “temporary frustrations”.

(c) Sky News 2021: Brexit: Shellfish lorries park near Downing Street as new rules cause severe delays at EU border