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GRIMSBY has received assurances there will be no threat to fish supplies following Iceland’s rejection of the Icesave compensation plan.
Britain and the Netherlands are owned around £3.5 million pounds paid to savers in both countries following the collapse of the Icelandic banking system in 2006.
A proposal to pay back the money was thrown out in a national referendum at the weekend. There have been calls for sanctions against Iceland and fish buyers on the Humber feared it could impact on fish supplies from that region.
This week Steve Norton , chief executive of the Grimsby Fish Merchants Association, contacted Ian Whitting, the British Ambassador in Iceland appealing for the UK and Holland “to demonstrate commonsense”, pointing out that any boycott of seafood would have serious implications for ports like Grimsby.
In his reply, Mr Whitting said that Grimsby could rest assured there would be no punitive action. He said the dispute will be decided by the EFTA court processing system. The issue centred around whether Iceland breached the Deposit Guarantee Directive. He did not expect a ruling for around a year.
Steve said: “This is re-assuring news because there is always a danger that disputes of this nature can get out of hand. Whatever the rights and wrong of the Icesave issue, Icelandic fish is very important to Grimsby and any talk of a boycott would have serious consequences for the local economy.
He added that having contacts at diplomatic level showed the value of the FMA which celebrates its centenary this year.“We shall certainly keep an eye on events in Iceland to ensure the supply link continues."
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