London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Shell shocked: 'Lobster capital' braces for Brexit

Shell shocked: 'Lobster capital' braces for Brexit

Live shellfish exporters in England have warned a wave of form-filling, certification and tariffs will hit the industry in 2021.

Traders who sell live crabs and lobsters into the EU expect delays caused by bottlenecks and new rules.

Fisheries remains a problem for post-Brexit trade talks, but even if a deal is done, trading across the Channel will not be as seamless as it is now.

More than 80% of crabs and lobsters from East Yorkshire are sold in Europe.

On a typically blustery morning on Bridlington Harbour the lobster lorry arrives from France.

It makes stops all along the East Yorkshire coast, loading freshly caught lobsters into sea water tanks to transport and sell back on the continent.

Exporting live shellfish to France and Spain will become much more challenging when the UK enters into a new relationship with the European Union from 1st January 2021.

Lobster to get more luxurious?


Hundreds of shell fisherman and exporters rely on frictionless trade, so a no deal is their worst-case scenario.

"The cost of everything will rise with all the extra tariffs businesses will have to pay on goods going in both directions," according to Jo Ackers, the company secretary of one of the largest shellfish wholesalers in Bridlington.

"We are looking at extra tariffs of 8% on lobster and 7.5% on crab with EU countries having similar import tariffs. It is the fishermen and the end of line customers that would get hit with these costs in the long term," she said.

Ms Ackers runs the Independent Shellfish Cooperative alongside her husband in Bridlington.

The pair act on behalf of 31 vessels, selling their fresh catch of lobsters, crab and whelks for both processing and the live market.


Jo Ackers helps run the Independent Shellfish Cooperative which exports live lobsters and crabs to Europe


Much of it driven by lorry from harbours in Yorkshire to southern ports like Dover or Plymouth and then onwards to markets on the Mediterranean.

Shellfish receives the highest prices when shipped live to the EU, and so any delays and congestion at the ports will likely hit profits.

Ms Ackers is not only worried about tariffs being slapped on exports, but higher taxes coming the other way too.

Costs rising


She fears the cost of the material the fishermen need to do their work with rise too.

"A lot of rope and twine is made in Portugal, the most popular clothing manufacturer is French and the most popular wellies are made in the Netherlands. The fishermen are therefore faced with the prospect of increasing prices on the goods they buy while the value of their catch is decreasing," she says.

From Flamborough Head to Spurn Point, the East Yorkshire coast is home to the UK's largest crab and lobster fishing industry, landing almost £10m worth of shellfish every year.

This is an economic success story in an area that has often struggled. Many working the shellfish boats are veterans of the 1970's cod wars which finished off the UK trawler fleet.


The East Yorkshire coast is home to the UK's largest crab and lobster fishing industry
New rules, new forms


Any deal brokered by government is only part of the challenge here. Ms Ackers says in the New Year there will be a bureaucratic mountain to climb.

"I think it's getting more confusing and complicated the closer we get, it's almost information overload, everybody is trying to tell us what we should be doing, and it quite difficult to sift through it all,' said Ms Ackers.

Some of the new requirements for live shellfish exports from 1st January 2021 include an export animal health certificate that must be signed by a fish health inspector who will need at least five working days notice.

It's an official document that confirms your export meets the health requirements of the country it's destined for.

The importer must then notify an EU Border Control Point. Shellfish must be then checked at a Border control point and UK Customs forms should also be completed.

40-year-old accord gone


With just two weeks until this new system begins, frustration is building 300 miles south in Devon amongst the south west fishing fleet.


Beshlie Pool represents 75 shellfish boats in South Devon that land around £5m of crab and lobster


Beshlie Pool, the Executive Officer of South Devon and Channel Shellfishermen's Association, warns the logistical challenges ahead are 'very significant and concerning.'

The association has 75 shellfish boats that land around £5m worth of crab and lobsters at the ports of Salcombe and Dartmouth every year, and like Bridlington, much of it is exported.

"Our exporting members remain extremely distressed about difficulty with logistics related to the exports from January 1st onwards including issues with the design of government systems and processes, availability of staff needed to sign off exports and a massive increase in paperwork burdens with significant associated costs," said Ms Pool.

Fishing has always been an emotional issue in the UK's relationship with the European Union, and is at the centre of ongoing negotiations regarding a future trade deal.

"Parts of our South West fishing fleet are facing the breakdown of a 40-year-old accord with our French and Belgian colleagues, and the associated loss of fishing grounds and therefore revenue," said Ms Pool.


Crab exporters have said there has been 'no real guidance' on how tariffs may work
'Unworkable'


Exporters says they are working through exceptionally difficult times. Mark Moore, from the Dartmouth Crab Company, warned that 'lack of clarity from Government is impacting our day to day business, as we try to prepare to export in the new year.'

The company has a fleet of nine lorries and exports live crabs to France and Portugal. Over the decades the shellfish industry has relied on a smooth supply chain delivering seafood from catch to plate within 24 hours.

Mr Moore is worried about the news rules and regulation could slow things down, which is a major concern when dealing live products.

"The catch certification requirements remain unworkable, the issuing of European Health Certificates is still in a state of confusion and we are significantly concerned about the additional costs related to these, there is no real guidance available on how tariffs will operate.

"Frankly, it's a mess''.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×