Ports welcome Scottish Gov't funding for hard-hit fishing harbours

The British Ports Association's Fishing Ports Group has welcomed the Scottish Government's announcement of a new fund to support the seafood sector, including ports.
 
Mark Simmonds, Director of Policy at the British Ports Association:

"This support is very welcome and will help Scottish Fishing Ports that have seen both landings and prices fall due to covid and now additional non-tariff barriers to key export markets. It means that some capital projects that might have been at risk due to the volatility may now still be able to go ahead."

"We wrote to UK Ministers in January setting out a series of proposals to urgently address some of the issues affecting seafood exports. We are pleased that the Cabinet Secretary has heard this message and launched this package of support."

"We hope that other parts of the UK will now follow and ensure that harbours are not overlooked in any seafood sector support schemes. Most seafood landed in the UK is exported and after one of the most difficult years in memory for fishing ports the last thing we need are persistent new barriers to trade undermining our competitiveness."

The BPA's fishing ports group represents the overwhelming majority of fishing ports in the UK including all of the top 20 by landings.

New package for hard-hit businesses.

A new £7.75 million funding package will offer support to fishermen, seafood businesses and ports and harbours threatened by the ongoing effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU Exit.

The package includes:
£6.45 million for the Seafood Producers Resilience Fund which will provide support to eligible shellfish catchers and producers, in addition to trout farmers who have faced issues exporting to the EU and have lost access to domestic food markets as a result of COVID-19
£1 million to be made available to support the investment plans of ports and harbours faced with a loss of income through landing fees

Full details of the Seafood Producers Resilience Fund will be available on the Marine Scotland section of the Scottish Government website from Friday 5th February.

About BPA
The British Ports Association represents the interests of over 100 port members, covering more than 400 ports, terminal operators and port facilities. The UK ports industry plays a key role in the country’s economy as 95% of the UK’s international trade – imports and exports – is carried through British ports. UK ports also handle more than 60 million international and domestic passenger journeys each year. The UK port industry is the second largest in Europe, handling around 500 million tonnes of freight each year. UK ports directly employ around 115,000 people.