Four years on from the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, the U.K. seafood industry is still roughly GBP 1 billion (USD 1.3 billion, EUR 1.2 billion) behind where it was in 2019.
Prior to the U.K. officially leaving the European Union in early 2020, government officials promised seafood sector growth would continue to be supported. Despite the promises, multiple aspects of the industry are struggling, with some calling on the government for additional help as challenges continue to undermine the segment.
“This is the big question on my mind: will there be a billion-pound bounce back in the U.K. seafood industry?” Seafish CEO Marcus Coleman said. “The reason I say that, is it has been tough. The last four years, the combined value of seafood imports and exports in and out of the U.K. has fallen by around GBP 1 billion (USD 1.3 billion, EUR 1.2 billion).”
Coleman, speaking during the Responsible Seafood Summit in St. Andrews, Scotland, said prior to Covid-19 and Brexit, seafood trade reached a peak of just under GBP 6.5 billion (USD 8.4 billion, EUR 7.8 billion)
“Leading up to 2020, things were looking quite good. Consumer confidence was high, the economy was in growth,” Coleman said.
What has happened since has sent that growth tumbling …
