The Colchester-based NUTFA said their decision was made by their Committee after expiry of the May 23 deadline given to Defra to resolve the under-10metre quota crisis.

In a statement the grouping said:

“Our London-based legal team of maritime specialists are Thomas Cooper who won the Factortame case against MAFF, which included compensation for their clients of £55M.

“Our legal team has advised this Association that they consider this to be a clear case of discrimination and if successful, compensation claims may also be possible for any under 10s that have suffered financial loss for any reason because of Defra’s actions, including shell fishermen.These claims would go back many years and are expected to be substantial.

“This Association along with our legal team has designed simple monthly catch declaration sheets for our members to log all landings and marketable discards to gain track record, these will also be admissible in a court of law and designed to help prove that discrimination has taken place against them.

“The log sheets are available to any of our members for an administration fee of £30.00 including VAT per year. This information will be securely logged on this Association’s database for future reference and made available to our members as they require . This Association would strongly recommend all under tens to have their catch information independently logged in this way, even if they have no intention of making compensation claims.

“This Association was formed as a Company Limited by Guarantee. Therefore we would like to reassure our members, that any financial liability from the judicial review proceedings lies entirely with this Association and not with any of its individual members. The financing of this action will come from the Association’s subscription fees.

“Any UK under tens that have not yet joined this Association can download an application form from our website or phone the number below to have one sent in the post."

The new association can be contacted on: 01206 79 73 73 Fax: 01206 86 11 14. E-Mail: info@nutfa.org.

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