SNP CALLS FOR SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT'S FULL INVOLVEMENT IN CFP REVIEW DEBATE

SNP CALLS FOR SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT'S FULL INVOLVEMENT IN CFP REVIEW DEBATE

SNP President Ian Hudghton MEP has welcomed the interim report of the Inquiry into Future Fisheries Management (IFFM) which says that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) suffers from "systemic failures" for Scotland and results in fishermen experiencing “the worst aspects of the current regime".

Mr Hudghton, who called earlier this month for the Scottish Parliament to be invited to fully participate in the forthcoming debates in the European Parliament on the review of the Common Fisheries Policy, said that report vindicated the SNP’s long term position on how the CFP had failed Scotland’s fishermen.

Commenting Mr Hudghton said:

“The UK has the largest share of EU waters and Scotland is responsible for around 70% of key UK fishing quotas.

“This is a very welcome report from a body of opinion that knows how the CFP has affected Scotland.

“In the early 1970’s the SNP warned about the damage the CFP could do to Scotland’s fishing industry when the then Tory government took us in. That warning was starkly laid bare when 30 year papers revealed that our fishing industry was viewed as expendable.

“This interim report can compliment the ongoing CFP review in the European Parliament which is of immense importance to the Scottish fishing industry and Scotland's coastal communities.

“After over three decades of failure, it's time for the EU to give up control and return powers over fisheries to Europe's maritime nations.

"The European Parliament's plans to engage with those areas with fishing interests are most welcome and will allow parliamentarians from Europe's fishing communities to get their full say.

“In this regard, it is vital that Scotland’s voice is heard, not just Westminster’s. Throughout the decades of failure of the CFP, Scotland's needs have been badly served by successive London governments and this report can lay out the Scottish experience of the CFP.”