Plea for 'abandoned' South Devon industry

The government has been urged to overhaul visa regulations for overseas workers as a way of helping the ‘stricken’ Devon fishing industry.

It’s claimed the trade, which is one of the county’s highest-profile industries, faces a ‘labyrinth’ of red tape.

The port of Brixham currently lands fish of the highest value, but the area’s MP has told a top-level debate on the industry that fishing communities need help urgently.

Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, Caroline Voaden, told a meeting at Westminster Hall that promises made in the run-up to a ‘botched’ Brexit had been broken, and an avalanche of red tape had since engulfed the industry.

“Having to get a qualified vet to personally sign 17 different pieces of paper for one export consignment is ludicrous,” she said. “Yet that is the reality for Offshore Shellfish, a high-quality mussel farm off the Devon coast.”

She called for more spending on fish-processing facilities and better management of fish quotas.

“In South Devon fishing is not just an industry, but a way of life for many of my constituents,” she said. “Brixham harbour sustains hundreds of jobs and contributes millions to the local economy.

“The challenges facing fishers in South Devon are stark, from rising fuel costs to navigating the labyrinth of post-Brexit bureaucracy.

“They are deeply proud of their work and their heritage, but they feel abandoned by successive governments that have made promises they have failed to keep.”

And, she said, despite efforts to recruit home-grown talent through apprenticeships and partnerships, there were not enough skilled people to operate vessels or process the catch.

“The current visa routes for non-UK workers are wholly inadequate,” she said. “The skilled worker visa is unaffordable and impracticable for the industry. I ask the government to work with the Home Office to create a visa system that meets the needs of the industry and supports its sustainability.”