MORE than two-thirds of Scots believe the Brexit trade agreement is a “bad deal” for Scotland’s fishermen, according to a new poll.
The results of the survey, carried out by Survation for James Kelly’s Scot Goes Pop, come as Boris Johnson was ridiculed for claiming British fishermen should prepare for an “El Dorado”.
The industry has spent most of the last three weeks tangled up in red tape, unable to ply their trade.
Photos on social media this week showed Peterhead’s fish-market – the largest in Europe – near empty.
The poll, carried out between January 11 and 13, asked 1020 Scots if they thought the UK Government allowing EU boats to continue fishing in UK waters for the next five and a half years, was “a good deal or a bad deal for the Scottish fishing industry”.
Just 31% said it was a good deal, while 69% said the opposite.
READ MORE: Could remorse of Leave voters boost support for Scottish independence?
The poll also asked respondents if they thought the UK Government had given “greater priority to Scottish interests or to English interests”.
Just 13% thought Scottish interests had come out on top. Another 24% said both had been of equal importance, while 53% said English interests had been the priority.
SNP candidate for Banffshire and Buchan Coast Karen Adam said: “Scotland has been dragged out of the EU by Boris Johnson against its will. Throughout the whole Brexit fiasco Scotland’s interests have been completely sidelined and ignored.
“People in Scotland have the right to choose a better future as an independent country and escape the Tories’ Brexit disaster.
“The Tories have betrayed and sold out Scotland’s fishing communities and their hard Brexit deal will hit jobs and living standards across the country.
“Wales and England voted for Brexit and are leaving the EU and Northern Ireland has been given a special deal, yet Scotland, with the highest remain vote of any country in the UK, has been given nothing except a disastrous hard Brexit we didn’t vote for.”
During yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Johnson was challenged by Labour’s Ben Bradshaw about the increased bureaucracy for fishermen following Brexit.
READ MORE: Brexit and Covid have crippled fishing communities, we must not turn our backs
The MP asked: “When the Prime Minister told fishermen in the south-west that they would not face new export barriers or unnecessary form-filling, and when he told Britain’s musicians and artists they would still be free to tour and work in the rest of the European Union after Brexit, neither of those statements were correct, were they Prime Minister?”
Johnson, replied: “It is absolutely true that some British fishermen have faced barriers at the present time owing to complications over form-filling and indeed one of the biggest problems is that, alas, there is a decline in appetite for fish in continental markets just because most of the restaurants, as he knows, are shut.”
He went on: “The reality is that Brexit will deliver and is delivering a huge uplift in quota, already the next five years, and by 2026 the fishing people of this country will have access to all the fish in all the territorial waters of this country.
“To get them ready for that El Dorado, we’re investing £100 million in improving our boats, our fish processing industry and getting fishing ready for the opportunities ahead.”
LibDem MP Alistair Carmichael said: “Fishermen may reflect that El Dorado was a myth that led to many wasted lives searching for treasure that never existed. Future promises of mythical wealth are worth nothing when the broken promises of the present are costing fishermen right now.”
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