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The UK Government has no idea how much fish is being caught in Scottish waters by EU fishing vessels. How do I know? I asked.
The EU Vessel List I mention in that question can be found on the UK Government's website on this page - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/united-kingdom-single-issuing-authority-uksia
So Scottish boats are tied up at the quay, fish processing firms are warning they may go out of business, and the customs chaos is still not sorted out and now we know that the UK Government isn't even paying attention to what's getting caught in our waters
We already knew what the UK Government's attitude is to the difficulties that our fishing businesses are having in getting their products to their European customers - https://twitter.com/DeidreBrock/status/1352225750011752449?s=20
and the problems continue to mount for any business trying to get fresh food to market - https://twitter.com/SSPOsays/status/1354345797043810304?s=20
It's not just fish. Our food and drink exporters were selling high quality products, helping Scotland to have a positive balance of trade. It's a major part of the Scottish economy but it's being hit hard. This thread from the Ethical Dairy lays it out - https://twitter.com/theethicaldairy/status/1353785732633145344?s=20
and imports are not running smoothly, either - https://twitter.com/uk_domain_names/status/1354407609009364995?s=20
This from a butcher in Moray shows, like the Ethical Dairy, that the small and medium-sized businesses selling premium products are being damaged. They will lose customers and they will lose reputation - https://twitter.com/Macbeths/status/1354004902096347136?s=20
businesses in the constituencies of the UK's Scottish Secretary and the leader of the Scottish Tories are suffering but there's no reaction. Scottish businesses need the UK Government to change course now and try for a better EU deal, even if that means eating some humble pie
It looks like the UK Government 'took back control' but doesn't know what to do with it. No-one is at the helm, the fishing industry is being gutted, Scottish exports are being damaged, people might lose their jobs, businesses may close and communities will suffer #NoMoreExcuses
Scotland, of course, has the option of independence and becoming a nation that doesn't think it's too high and mighty to deal honestly and constructively with others. In the meantime, we need UK Government action now to save these jobs, businesses and industry
