The cost of Friday’s favourite meal, fish and chips, may soon rise due to the war in Ukraine.
Workers in Peterhead are warning that Russian import sanctions and the inability to export its produce to Ukraine may mean huge losses to the market.
The market is said to be worth £20million to the UK economy.
On Friday’s BBC Good Morning Scotland programme, business managers from Peterhead said they are being doubly hit – which may mean an increase in costs and a lack of fish to put into the market.
Sinclair Banks, of Lunar Freezing and Cold Storage in Peterhead, said the fish market was hugely uncertain.
About 12,000 tonnes of white fish are shipped to the Ukraine each year, and he is calling for help from government to keep that market open on humanitarian grounds.
He said: “They need to eat.
“We have lorry loads of herring and mackerel waiting to get through.”
Mr Banks said a decision would need to be made on whether it can get the product to Ukraine, calling for a route of entry to be found.
Without work businesses can fall into financial difficulty
In another blow to the market, new tariffs have been introduced on white fish from Russia. The market in Peterhead imported 50,000 tonnes of white fish in 2020.
New sanctions mean the cost will automatically rise by 35% – which will in turn put up the price of fish to market, and likely the local chipper.
For many that will take a portion of take-away fish and chips to more than £10 per portion.
James Buchan, chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, said: “Fish Friday is going to be a whole lot more expensive.
“Such is the demand for fish that what we land locally does not meet what the market requires.
“For our own fishing fleet [in Scotland] there will be more demand which will offset rising fuel costs, but equally these factories [in Peterhead] need a constant supply of white fish and people in those factories need work.
“Without that supply, we could get into financial difficulty.”
