ORIONEWS political reporter, Essex
ORIONEWS5 years on because the UK formally left the EU and, up to now, Brexit has not been as unhealthy as oysterman Tom Haward thought.
A yr earlier than January 31 2020, his enterprise – Richard Haward’s Oysters – determined to cease sending 200,000 oysters a yr to the likes of Belgium and France.
As an alternative, they’ve been served-up at extra eating places, fishmongers and markets throughout Britain.
“Brexit did not actually impression us in any respect within the brief time period.
“We anticipated it could trigger numerous issues with exporting, so we stopped earlier than Brexit occurred after which crammed that hole with home purchasers.”
Tom Haward’s household have grown and caught oysters round Mersea Island in Essex for practically 300 years. He hopes his daughter will at some point turn into the ninth technology to make her residing from the shellfish.
At the start of this decade, elevated demand within the UK ate up the ten% of his oysters that had been being exported to continental Europe.
“We had been seeing a renaissance of affection of oysters within the UK.
“We had been seeing a rise in gross sales to eating places, so we had been like ‘Oh, Brexit hasn’t been as unhealthy as we thought it was going to be’.
“However that was the start. Now we’re beginning to see, 5 years on, the implications of Brexit,” Mr Haward instructed the ORIONEWS.
The hospitality sector was “struggling” and the oysterman stated his prospects weren’t promoting the identical volumes of oysters up to now yr.
“We have a really small market that we are attempting to maintain maintain of and there is not likely a lot development within the UK.
“There are such a lot of different oyster producers combating for a similar prospects. I can already see a downward for gross sales in oysters.”
There have been now “too many limitations, too many problems” to promoting British oysters in mainland Europe, Mr Haward stated.
To export dwell shellfish into the EU, export well being certificates, origin of product paperwork and veterinary well being checks wanted to be accomplished.
Mr Haward stated the paperwork and planning would take per week, whereas earlier than Brexit an order from the EU may very well be made and the oysters would arrive the next day.
The forms, he stated, had “pushed the value up by at the very least 20%” and he would “must cost much more than our European rivals”.
There was additionally a threat dwell oysters can be delayed in transit and would “die on the border”.
‘Dubai simpler than Dublin’
Tom Haward stated he had discovered a brand new consumer in Dubai, which was simpler to export to than Dublin.
“It is very easy: I write out an bill, field the oysters up, ship them to Heathrow and it is job achieved.
“It is all achieved the best way we used to do it with Europe.
“It is simpler to get them into the Center East than throughout the English Channel, that is the insanity of it. It makes me unhappy.”
Earlier than the Brexit vote, Richard Haward’s Oysters was seeking to double its EU exports to twenty% of gross sales. Now exports overseas make-up 0.5%.
The UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has talked of a reset of relations with the EU and bettering market entry for meals and farm items.
However Tom Haward was pessimistic.
“There’s numerous discuss and little motion no matter which authorities is in place,” he stated.
He was contemplating sending oysters to the Far East – demand is excessive in China.
However he was torn over whether or not it was sustainable to fly oysters “half-way all over the world” and preserve his household harvesting oysters.
