November 11, 2014 — Sending a Conservative peer to represent Scottish fishermen at EU talks is a "slap in the face" for Scotland, the country's fisheries minister has said.
Richard Lochhead argued that he should have been allowed to stand in for UK Environment Secretary Liz Truss, who is unable to attend the meeting.
But the UK government has instead drafted in Lord de Mauley.
Two-thirds of the UK's fishing industry is based in Scotland.
Monday's talks in the Belgian capital are to focus on quotas for deep sea stocks, which disproportionately affect Scottish trawlers.
'Bit of a snub'
Speaking from Brussels, Mr Lochhead told BBC Scotland the UK government had agreed in 2010 that, when circumstances were appropriate, Scotland could lead at European fishing talks when the subjects up for discussion were primarily Scottish.
He added: "Yet here we are in a situation today where the UK secretary of state is in Brussels but she thinks she has got other things she wants to do other than attending the council.
"So she has drafted in Rupert Ponsonby, the seventh Baron de Mauley, from the House of Lords to represent the UK even although I am here. I think that is a bit of a snub for Scotland and a slap in the face.
"I have now got to sit down with Lord de Mauley and brief him in what's important for Scotland, explain to him the background, the circumstances. I have to hope he'll take that on board as he leads these talks."
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