Local fishing vessel owners need to register as ‘food businesses’, and have their vessel inspected by Shetland Islands Council to enable catch to be exported, either directly or indirectly, to Europe.
Owners of Shetland-registered vessels are urged to contact Shetland Islands Council’s Environmental Health team to register their vessels and make arrangements for their vessel to be inspected. This is a legal requirement for those vessels who intend to export their catch, either directly or indirectly, to any EU Member State after the end of the ‘transition period’ on 31st December 2020.
Exemptions apply if your catch is intended either for personal consumption, or it does not exceed 25kg and is for direct sale from the quayside.
Vessel owners are responsible for this registration process, and failure to do so may mean that their catches cannot be exported to EU member states at the end of the transition period.
For more details and a registration from, please contact fishingvessels@shetland.gov.uk or look up the Council’s ‘Food Business Registration’ webpage at: www.shetland.gov.uk/environmental_health/FoodRegistration.asp
Food Standards Scotland has today (30 July 2020) written to fishing vessel owners across Scotland on this subject. .