Calais crisis: police offering relief to seafood exporters

The United Kingdom’s Kent Police force has begun prioritizing fresh produce exports caught up in the delays to cross-Channel freight services.

Government officials have announced new arrangements that see certain cargoes routed directly to the Channel Tunnel or the Port of Dover with immediate effect. The prioritized loads include live shellfish and fresh fish.

The “quick to market” route has been welcomed by the Scottish Government, amid concerns from the country’s seafood industry about the financial losses and cancelled orders caused by severe interruptions to exports over the past two months.

“The Scottish Government has repeatedly called for action from the outset of this disruption, and so I welcome this move to prioritize key consignments – including fresh produce – through the Channel Tunnel and Port of Dover. At last we are seeing common sense prevail and a recognition of the impact on food exporters,” said Richard Lochhead, fisheries secretary.

“Agreement of this protocol to prioritize a quick to market route is real progress and we will, of course, monitor its introduction and effectiveness.

“While it is by no means a solution to the wider and ongoing complex situation in Calais, it will be welcomed by Scottish seafood exporters who have seen orders plummet by up to 80 percent in some categories in recent weeks. These delays at Calais have had a disproportionate and damaging impact on our vital food processing sector.

“With seafood exports worth five times as much in Scotland as the U.K. as a whole, we have been determined to find a way forward. With no end in sight to the situation at Calais, we will continue to look at options around alternative routes which could be used by hauliers,” he said.

The U.K.’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) has estimated the crisis has cost the haulage industry GBP 750,000 (EUR 1.1 million; USD 1.2 million) per day, and GBP 250 million (EUR 358.8 million; USD 389.5 million) to the U.K. economy as a whole. The value of perished fresh produce alone has already exceeded GBP 10 million (EUR 14.4 million; USD 15.6 million).

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