NFFO urges firm stance and calm diplomacy as EU threatens UK access over fisheries ahead of 2026 TCA review
As the 2026 review of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) approaches, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) has issued a robust warning against what it describes as “bullying tactics” from the European Union over future access to UK fishing waters.
In a strongly worded statement, the NFFO claims that the EU’s rhetoric around fisheries access has become increasingly aggressive, with threats to block wider cooperation — including defence pacts — unless favourable fishing terms are guaranteed.
“The TCA was an astonishingly good deal for the EU,” said the NFFO. “Boris Johnson’s government fell far short of what it promised. The pretence that the UK would become an independent coastal state was fatally undermined by the permission given for European vessels to fish in UK waters up to 6 miles from shore.”
But the one saving grace, they argue, is that this access was not permanent. From 2026 onwards, access to each other’s waters must be negotiated annually, unless a new agreement is reached. This shift, the NFFO contends, gives the UK leverage — and it must not squander it.
“For decades, European fishermen have done very nicely out of Britain’s waters. They’ve had a good run,” the NFFO said. “But the world has changed. Britain isn’t part of the EU anymore.”
The NFFO dismisses recent threats from EU officials that cooperation on defence and trade could be withdrawn if the UK doesn’t concede on fisheries. “Are we really to believe that EU governments would sabotage their own defence pacts to help a handful of French fishermen?” the statement asks. “That strains credulity.”
The NFFO argues that EU fishing businesses benefit from certainty — something that annual licence renegotiation disrupts. “If you want something valuable, you generally have to pay for it,” the federation said. “Access to the UK’s rich fishing grounds is valuable — and that must be reflected in any future agreement.”
They further contend that the EU’s threats to bar British seafood products from the Single Market amount to nothing more than political posturing. “We need maturity and a business-like approach from our representatives,” the NFFO added. “Not performative posturing or capitulation to playground bullies.”
The federation praised Defra Minister Daniel Zeichner’s recent comments in Westminster Hall, where he promised a “good deal” for UK fishermen. “Long may that confidence and resolve continue,” the NFFO said.
As 2026 approaches, the NFFO is urging the UK government to hold firm, reject threats, and negotiate fisheries access on fair, reciprocal terms — sector by sector. The industry, they say, must not be sold out again.
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