Scotland’s pelagic fishing sector on Tuesday agreed upon a five-point plan to protect itself from the effects of Russia’s trade embargo.
At a meeting in Edinborough, chairman and Scotland Fishing Minister Richard Lochhead (pictured) agreed to collaborate with key industry leaders — such as the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association and the Scottish Pelagic Processors Association — to target new and emerging overseas markets; grow domestic sales with Scottish and UK retailers; increase domestic demand; work with the UK government on protections like export insurance; and work with the EU on banking of quotas.
Lochhead described the meeting as “extremely constructive.”
“This is a successful sector, used to adapting to changes in market conditions and with great experience exporting to a wide range of markets,” he said. “Processors today confirmed that up to 20 percent of the mackerel processed in Scotland is exported directly to Russia, with work still ongoing to identify the knock-on effect of indirect exports through countries such as Lithuania and the Baltic States. There will also be an issue of displacement, as other countries also affected by the ban, look to find alternative markets for their fish and we are working to calculate what that impact will be.
“It is clear that there is no one solution to this complex situation, but with everyone working together and focussing on the five key areas we have identified today, we will hopefully be able to take various steps to protect both the pelagic catching and processing sectors from any significant impact.”
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