Cherilyn Mackrory MP for Truro and Falmouth was interviewed by the BBC’s Martyn Oates this weekend in a pre-recorded episode of Politics South West. During the half hour show they discussed the ongoing debate into licensing for under 10 metre fishers.
Also on the panel of interviewees Cllr Phil Bialyk from Exeter City Council, and Cllr Steve Darling from Torbay Council.
Cherilyn was asked to comment on the new consultation being led by the Department of Transport ands the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) into the medical licensing which has been required by all under 10 metre fishers since November 2023. This licensing has been met with significant backlash from local fishers, who believe it to be ignorant to the challenges faced by this industry and damaging to livelihoods.
Facing the allegation that the Government are slow to react, and not listening to the needs of under 10 metre fishers, Cherilyn said:
“The Government have listened. This is something we went through as a family, my other half is a fisherman and he has his medical license last year so we’ve been through this process and we know it’s been very upsetting for a lot of fishermen because these guys have worked on fishing boats their whole lives and some of these rules were going to exclude them and it was a very stressful process for them to go through.
“Six Cornish MPs, including myself, have been lobbying the Government throughout the year, and the Department of Transport and DEFRA have looked at this and are now consulting. If this is successful it will mean proper grandfather rights for those who already have their boats, but if you’re new and just coming into the industry you will still need to have your medical certificate for the reasons they’ve set out.
“Being a fisherman is the second most dangerous profession in the world after bomb disposal. The Secretary of State has a responsibility to make sure that we minimise the number of deaths at sea and that’s something he has taken very seriously. He’s looking at the safety, not at the reality fishermen face, and it’s down to constituency MPs such as myself and my colleagues across Cornwall and Devon who managed to get the Government to see what it is actually like for the fishermen, and they’ve listened. They are listening to what is going on and they’re behaving appropriately.
“The Government have done a lot of positive things for the industry. Fishermen are doing well out of the grant scheme which was introduced to replace EU funding. They’ve modernised their vessels, they’re making them safer. They have to put up 20% funding and they get 80% to cover the work they want to do to their boats to ensure they’re safe and fit for purpose.
“What the Government are trying to do through these schemes is build up the fishing fleet so that when we get the waters back in 2026, we are as robust and fit for purpose as we can be. They’re very supported in this and there’s very good dialogue. There doesn’t have to be one stick to it, it’s a dialogue and a process and it will go on.”
To see the rest of this interview, the whole episode is available from the BBC by following the link here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vpm3/politics-south-west-21012024
