An official analysis by the Irish government’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine reveals the scale by which EU fishing quotas will have dropped (and UK quotas will expand) at the end of the fishing transition period. Titled “Preliminary Analysis Of Reduction Of Fisheries Quota Shares Under EU/UK Trade And Cooperation Agreement“, the document concludes that by 2026 EU coastal states’ shares of fish will shrink significantly – with quotas being ceded to the UK. Ireland and Germany will lose 15%, the Netherlands will lose 10%, France will lose 8%, Denmark and Belgium will lose 7%, and Spain will lose 4%.

Despite Macron’s bluster and spin, France has in reality been hit harder than reported. The Irish analysis has the average EU quota being reduced by 9.83%, so it is fair to say that they are literally being decimated. Their loss is the UK’s gain…