Don't you dare! French fishermen warn Macron they will blockade Calais if no deal happens
FRENCH fishermen have warned they are prepared to blockade British products at Calais in the event of a Brexit which sees their trawlers cut off from UK waters, piling pressure on Emmanuel Macron.
Brexit: No deal to cause 'damage' to EU fisheries says Michel
The drastic threat comes after the French President was forced to admit if the EU fails to strike a trade deal with the UK, French fishermen could find themselves effectively locked out of seas they rely on for their livelihoods. The UK is pushing for a deal whereby the level of fish stocks which EU vessels are permitted to catch in its waters are negotiated annually, as well as one which avoids tariffs and quotas on fish caught by UK fishermen when sold on the continent.
The EU, led by France, is vehemently opposed to such an arrangement - but Christophe Hagnere, a regional organiser for the seafood industry in Boulogne-sur-Mer for the Confederation Generale du Travail (CGT) union, suggested a compromise was needed to avoid a disastrous no-deal situation.
He warned: "If we see that companies are at risk of having to shut their doors, then there will be demonstrations.
"There will be a blockade of British products."
Currently, fishermen in Boulogne catch four-fifths of their fish in UK waters.
If they are prevented to do so, it would have devastating consequences for the coastal city, where 30,000 tons of fish are landed every year.
Boulogne also processes 370,000 tons of seafood annually, and desperately needs the jobs the industry brings, given its unemployment rate of 27 percent.
JUST IN: US Election 2020 - Trump WON'T accept defeat says expert
Fisherman Jean-Michel Fournier, 50, feared a no-deal outcome could effectively wipe out the French fishing industry.
He said: "There is bound to be repercussions if we are not listened to.
"The fishermen could take it upon themselves to block the Channel Tunnel or British lorries might be stopped from delivering their products to Europe.
DON'T MISS
EU warned of collapse - 'Northern states could form new group' [INSIGHT]
EU warned economic split could 'blow the whole thing up' [ANALYSIS]
EU split as Macron and Varadkar slam trade deal - 'They lied to us!' [INSIGHT]
"I hope it doesn't come to that. We are not at that point yet."
Loic Magnolle, 45, added: "We are so fed up that we no longer believe in anything we are told.
"For pity's sake, we just want Boris Johnson to let us get on with our jobs in the waters that we have been fishing in for the past five decades.
"We don't want to lose access to those waters. Without it, we will simply no longer exist."
Speaking to the Quest France newspaper, Sophie Leroy, who together with her husband owns four trawlers in nearby Cherbourg, said: "If there is No Deal, we will not let a single British fish land in our French ports.
"We are not going to sacrifice our businesses and then let the Brits sell their products here."
On Friday, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier tweeted: "Working hard for an agreement. Much remains to be done."
Downing Street has warned that "time is very short" to bridge the "significant" gaps between the two sides.
Fishing remains one of the chief obstacles to overcome, together with "level playing field" rules to ensure fair competition and governance arrangements.