Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the loss of foreign catching rights will have on the British fish processing industry after Brexit.

On leaving the EU, the UK will become an independent coastal state with responsibility for controlling and managing our Exclusive Economic Zone. This will provide an opportunity to reach new agreements on access and quota arrangements.

To meet consumer choice and demand, the vast majority of fish used by UK processors, primarily white fish (cod and pollack), warm and cold water shrimps and prawns and tuna is imported from outside of the EU. The UK will be able to decide what tariffs to apply to imports after leaving the EU.

Further details on the UK’s trade in fish products can be found in the Marine Management Organisations UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2016, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sea-fisheries-annual-statistics