Moray MP Douglas Ross has welcomed a commitment from the Prime Minister to provide £23million in support for businesses in the seafood sector affected by recent delays.
Exporters have faced lengthy hold-ups at a central hub in Larkhall established by the Scottish Government, whilst there have also been problems with IT systems both in France and the UK.
Mr Ross raised the issue in the House of Commons last week and urged the UK Government to provide financial compensation for losses due to the hold-ups.
Today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that £23million would be provided to help businesses affected.
Scottish Conservative MP for Moray Douglas Ross said:
“I have been calling for financial compensation for the seafood sector since last week, so this is a welcome step forward.
“Fishermen here in Moray have been in touch with me over the past two weeks and I raised these concerns directly with Ministers and in the House of Commons.
“The past two weeks have been extremely challenging for skippers and fishing businesses in Moray. The losses incurred have been devastating for many of those involved.
“I hope that this funding will be delivered as quickly as possible to those who need it. Businesses cannot afford to wait.
“We also need to see the Scottish Government step up to the plate to resolve issues we are seeing at Larkhall and accept any offer of support from the UK Government.
“People in coastal communities like Moray want to see Scotland’s two governments working together to overcome these problems and ensure the industry can thrive in the future.”