Committee publication · Correspondence · 13 February 2026
Correspondence from South Western Fish Producer organisation regarding UK–EU fisheries negotiations & industry engagement, dated 27 January 2026
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Fisheries and the marine environment
Summary
The South Western Fish Producer Organisation writes to the EFRA Committee requesting scrutiny of Defra's approach to UK–EU fisheries negotiations. The organisation criticises Defra for excluding industry from decision-making, operating without transparency, accepting poor negotiating outcomes to avoid walking away from deals, and undermining the Fisheries Act's co-design principles. It calls on the Committee to require Defra to embed industry experts in technical groups, publish negotiation agendas, and establish formal consultation frameworks.
Key findings
- Defra has systematically excluded industry from negotiations on shared stocks and technical measures, with companies learning of outcomes only after agreement; EU emergency technical measures were included with no time for meaningful consultation.
- UK negotiating team signals willingness to accept any EU deal regardless of quality, undermining the UK's position as an independent coastal state and raising questions about whether industry interests are genuinely defended.
- Unilateral decisions—including separation of individual skate species from group TACs and five-day compliance notices—were made without consulting those operating the fisheries, creating operational chaos and breaching post-Brexit promises.
- Industry exclusion has undermined benefits of genuine participation: operationally workable outcomes, credible negotiating positions grounded in real-world data, greater policy legitimacy, higher compliance, and stronger coastal communities.
- SWFPO requests the Committee press Defra to include industry experts in Specialised Committee on Fisheries technical groups, publish negotiation agendas in advance, conduct transparent post-negotiation reviews, and establish formal consultation frameworks.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Juliette Hatchman, South Western Fish Producer Organisation, Defra, EFRA Committee, UK negotiating team, European Union, UK fishing industry
Notable line
“If the UK signals it will accept any deal with the EU, how can it secure a fair one for its own industry?”
Key Quotes
“Over the past fishing year, Defra has taken decisions that have lacked transparency, meaningful consultation, and industry involvement.”
“Negotiations on shared stocks and technical measures have taken place behind closed doors, with the industry learning of outcomes only after they have been agreed.”
“If the UK signals it will accept any deal with the EU, how can it secure a fair one for its own industry?”
“This approach risks creating a post-Brexit settlement in which the UK retains nominal independence but significantly compromised autonomy …”
“Industry holds unmatched knowledge of gear selectivity, seasonal grounds, choke risks, and spatial interactions.”
“What it now needs is a formal seat at the table - not as an afterthought …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗