They accused Downing Street of reneging on promises made in the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU to let the bloc’s boats access our fishing grounds. Union bosses are meeting to finalize plans for the protest, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday. Ministers were warned last year that there is a “very realistic chance” that ports will be blocked by French fishing fleets in future ranks due to access to our waters.

Trawlers in northern France have complained that more than 80 percent of vessels operating out of Boulogne-sur-Mer have not been granted fishing permits in the UK’s six to 12 mile coastal zone. United.

In a statement, they said only 22 of the 120 ships had received government permission to operate in the area.

He says: “The fishermen of Hauts-de-France have shown extreme patience.

“But after being more than accommodating, they are sounding the alarm bells to call attention to an economic disaster in the industry.”

Fishermen say they have already been ‘extremely weakened’ by Brexit and insist they will not stand idly by and allow their industry to collapse.

They added: “This accumulation of problems stifles and condemns not only the fishing industry but also all agro-fishing professionals in Hauts-de France”.

French ships have long benefited from their generous access to British coastal waters.

As part of the forthcoming UK-EU relationship pact, Brussels has agreed to return 25 percent of its fleet’s catches to UK waters.

This will be phased in over a five-and-a-half-year transition period, which will expire in June 2026, ahead of annual negotiations on future access.

French European Affairs Minister Clément Beaune vowed last week to continue to fight for French fishermen to use British waters.

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Mr Beaune revealed that the entire French fishing fleet has still not obtained licenses to use our lucrative coastal waters.

“It’s a fight that has been going on since January 1, but we haven’t won yet,” he said.

“We will continue and we will continue to be firm.”

It also raises the question of what will happen to the access of the European fishing fleet to UK waters after the end of the transition period in 2026, he added.