A pioneering exporter who sold lobsters to Europe from the Yorkshire coast has been forced to wind up his 40-year-old family business – because of Brexit red tape.

So five years after the referendum, and six months from leaving the single market, what's the slogan from businesses most affected? Bureaucracy, delay, cost.

The Ethical Shellfish Company (TESC), based on the Isle of Mull, claimed they had been left with no choice after a period of poor trading.

A decades-old fishing business in a major British shellfish port has said that it has been forced to close due to new paperwork brought about by the UK's exit from the European Union.

UK food and drink exports to the European Union almost halved in the first three months of the year, compared with the same period in 2020.

A SLUMP in the value of fish and shellfish exports has left a Ross-shire MSP "deeply troubled" and sparked claims the setback is in part down to the Brexit effect. / New HMRC figures show fish and shellfish exports fell by £33 million between the first quarter of 2020 and 2021. The figures show a 45 per cent fall in the volume of exports over the same period.

Legal experts at Walker Morris discuss what food businesses need to know about phases 2 and 3 of implementing checks at the Great Britain/EU border now the Brexit transition period has ended.

Trade with Great Britain has been severely disrupted since the Brexit agreement came into force. Fish traders and clothing sellers are struggling to cope with new customs and health regulations. Companies often bear the burden of the extra costs.

Businesses cite higher costs, customs delays and paperwork as among the problems they face.

A Scottish fisherman says it's "cheaper and quicker" to export his shellfish to Asia than it is to France under post-Brexit rules. / Because the UK is out of the single market, British fish exports to Europe are now subject to new customs and veterinary checks.

Many of Britain’s waters are Class B, meaning its molluscs are banned – but industry says it’s the system that is failing them, not the water.

The UK’s biggest shellfish exporter says it’s opening an EU base to avoid paying up to £1 million a year in Brexit-related red tape.

“This has placed British businesses at a competitive disadvantage and reduced the incentive on the European Commission to negotiate measures that would lessen the burdens facing British producers."

What has changed in the 31 days since the UK left and how has it impacted consumers and businesses?

Wales' £39m commercial fishing sector will be "devastated" by changes under the Brexit trade deal, fishermen have warned.

The owner of the first lobster tank business in Europe’s largest shellfish port has revealed he has been forced to close, alluding to Brexit restraints as the main reason.

The government faces pressure to provide "as much support as humanly possible" to UK shellfish traders who have seen their exports grind to a halt as post-Brexit rules mean their catches are now totally banned from the EU.

In just the first few months of 2021, the UK has slashed its overseas aid budget, made clear its intent to pursue trade deals at all costs – including turning a blind eye to human rights atrocities and genocide – and announced an increase in funding to the UK’s weapons of mass destruction by 40%, signalling the start of a new arms race and ripping up 30 years of commitment to gradual disarmament.

This small sector has been promised benefits that will not materialise.

The timetable for the major new controls that have already been imposed and those that have been delayed

Trade has plummeted and red tape has blocked our borders. Is that what ‘protecting our sovereignty’ meant?

"Every time you send out transport with lobster, it is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets in your gun.”