Commenting on the news that Russia is to ban seafood imports from some countries, including those belonging to the EU, Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said: “Although we have yet to examine the detail of these retaliatory sanctions, we are at this stage extremely concerned about the impact they will have on our mackerel fleet.
“We recognise that this is a serious geopolitical issue, but the downstream impact will hit a number of business sectors including Scottish fishing.
“Russia is a very important export market for Scottish mackerel, and the denial of access would have extremely serious implications for both mackerel fishermen and the onshore processing sector. We will, of course, be keeping in close contact with the Scottish and UK Governments to monitor the situation as it develops, and also to discuss any support measures for the Scottish seafood sector should they be required.”
