November 30, 2016 โ The Scottish Fishermenโs Federation (SFF) and the National Federation of Fishermenโs Organisations (NFFO) have come to an agreement upon common principles for which they will jointly negotiate in upcoming talks on the terms of the United Kingdomโs separation from the European Union, also known as Brexit.
Following a meeting on 25 November in Edinburgh, Scotland, the two groups agreed on key outcomes they would like to achieve โto ensure the best possible deal for coastal communities in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations,โ according to a press release.
โWe see the UKโs departure from the E.U. and therefore the [Common Fisheries Policy] as an opportunity to address the distortions that were built into the CFP from its inception,โ said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the NFFO, which represents a broad section of fishermen across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. โThe U.K. industry is united that this is a once in a generation opportunity to put things right.โ
Both organizations regard Brexit as an โhistoric opportunity,โ as the U.K. regains full control of its 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
At the meeting between the two federations, the two organizations agreed to fight against any roll-over of the current Common Fisheries Policy and against negotiations that entangle fisheries issues other matters not related to fishing.