Calls for red tape to be ‘slashed’ so fishing fleets in King’s Lynn and Norfolk can benefit

James Wild has called for red tape to be “slashed” to boost the fishing fleets in Lynn, Brancaster and around the Norfolk coast.

The North West Norfolk MP has challenged the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs on when the Government's sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement will be implemented.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he pressed Dame Angela Eagle on the timeline for delivering the deal, which the Government announced alongside the £360million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.

The Government announced in May that it had secured a new SPS agreement with the EU to remove routine border checks and cut regulatory barriers. Since Brexit, the EU has imposed extensive paperwork on UK fishing businesses, creating delays in exporting seafood.

The deal remains unimplemented, and fishermen continue to face the same unnecessary checks.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Wild said: "When the fishing and coastal growth fund was announced, the Government said that they had also secured a new sanitary and phytosanitary agreement to slash red tape for UK seafood exporters and businesses.

“Can the Minister tell the fishing fleet in Lynn, Brancaster and around the Norfolk coast when that deal will actually be implemented?"

In response, Ms Eagle said: "We are awaiting the EU mandate, which the Commission tells us will be available by the end of November.

“We are very anxious to then get on to doing the SPS deal as quickly as possible, so that we can tear away all the red tape caused by Brexit.

“That has caused so much damage and made it so hard for the UK fishing industry to trade with our closest neighbour."