Livelihoods at stake as EU deal seen as selling port's fishing industry down the river – again

A BRIXHAM fisherman has hit out at the new trading deal between the UK and the European Union and says he is now planning to leave for Spain because the industry is "collapsing".

- By SWNS AND PRESS ASSOCIATION

Tom Parker, 37, who has been a fishermen since he was 16, has spoken out about the fishing industry's struggles.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s EU reset deal includes various agreements that will reduce costs for British exporters of food products - and slash bureaucratic red tape for those, including in Brixham, who send shellfish to Europe at the expense of giving up access to UK fishing waters in return.

Among the agreements unveiled on Monday was a 12-year extension of fishing arrangements when the current deal ends next year, allowing European vessels to operate in UK waters under the same terms until 2038. There will be no change to current access to fish for coastal communities and no reduction in the British quota or increase in the quota the EU is allowed to catch, it is understood.

Sir Keir said the old deal would have meant year-on-year negotiations over fishing access and insisted fisheries would be better off under the deal, pointing particularly to the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the bloc.