‘They DESTROYED our fleet’ Brexiteer lord SAVAGES European Union fisheries policy
BREXITEER peer Lord Forsyth has railed against the impact of the Common Fisheries Policy on Scotland’s fleet, warning Parliament not to “wilfully ignore” the Brexit referendum result.
Lord Forsyth: Common Fisheries Policy DESTROYED UK fleets
Lord Forsyth, who has been a prominent supporter of Brexit in the House of Lords, spoke powerfully about the impact of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy on his local fleet.
Addressing the House of Lords in a debate on the EU Withdrawal Bill, he said: “As a boy, I was brought up in Arbroath.
“I watched a great fishing fleet be destroyed, along with the associated industries, by the CFB.
“Successive governments of this country were powerless to help.
It is not for this or any other parliament to give away the powers which come from people
“It is not for this or any other parliament to give away the powers which come from people and with which it is entrusted without their consent.
“Far less, to wilfully ignore the results of a referendum.”
The controversial Common Fisheries Policy grants EU vessels access to British waters to fish and imposes strict quotas catches.
It has been widely blamed by British fishermen for decimating what was once a national industry.
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Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, launched the Government’s fisheries White Paper earlier this month.
He hailed the opportunity offered by Brexit to British fisheries, saying: “It's an opportunity for our fishing industry to revive, for our coastal communities to thrive, and for us to set a gold standard on sustainable fisheries management.”
Fishing groups across the UK are eager to keep more than 80 percent of their domestic catch after Brexit - something impossible given the current EU fishing quota policy.
He said that there would be a “revival” in the fishing industry and “economic renaissance” in fish processing.