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Written question asked by Bill Grant (Conservative) on Monday, 8 July 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 July 2019. It was answered by Robert Goodwill (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 July 2019 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Fish: Exports

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the (a) costs, (b) regulatory burden and (c) certification processes for UK fish exporters to the EU.

Answer

In the event of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement in place, the EU will require UK exporters to provide a Catch Certificate and an Export Health Certificate (EHC) when exporting most fish and fisheries products to the EU. Direct landings made by UK fishing vessels into EU ports will need to be accompanied by a Catch Certificate but will not require an EHC.

Export health certification is a devolved matter. Responsibility for Scottish exports to third countries lies with the Scottish Government. The Animal and Plant Health Authority issues EHCs for Scotland. Charges for signing EHCs vary by local authority and are made on a cost recovery basis. The consolidation of export consignments into larger consignments covered by a single certificate could reduce this cost burden.

The UK Government and the Marine Management Organisation have developed an IT system to allow exporters to obtain a Catch Certificate around the clock at no cost to the exporter. Assuming that the information submitted is correct, the Catch Certificate will be issued immediately without the need for further checks before export.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
274612
Session
2017-19
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Costs Certification Exports Fish Regulation UK trade with EU Brexit
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk