France threatens to turn off power to Jersey in post-Brexit fishing row

The French government could cut off the electricity supply to Jersey in an escalating row over post-Brexit fishing rights, a French minister has warned.

French leaders have accused the UK of using red tape to limit fishing, in breach of the agreement made with the EU last year to allow French trawlers to continue fishing in British waters.

Last Friday, the British government authorised 41 French trawlers with Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) technology, which allows ships to be located, and gave them permission to fish in waters off Jersey.

But Annick Girardin, France’s maritime minister, said this authorisation had been accompanied by new demands “which were not arranged or discussed, and which we were not notified about”. She said the boats had been given limits on the zones in which they could work and the number of days per year they can remain in those waters.

Girardin said she was “revolted” by the restrictions and warned that France was ready to use “retaliation measures”. She said: “With regards to Jersey, I would remind you, for example, of electricity transmission by underwater cable. So, we have the means. Even if I would regret getting to that point, we will if we have to.”

According to Jersey Electricity, around 95% of the power for the self-governing British Crown Dependency comes through three undersea cables from France, with the rest provided by diesel generators on the island.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that Jersey was responsible for its own territorial waters and fishing management in them, but the UK was responsible for the international relations of the Crown Dependencies. 

The Defra spokesperson said: “We have been working closely with the EU and the government of Jersey on fisheries access provisions following the end of the transition period for licensing.”

The incident marks a major escalation in a row over claims by French fishers that they are being denied access to UK waters.

Last week Clément Beaune, the French minister of European affairs, warned that Paris could prevent British financial services firms from receiving authorisations to operate on the Continent if the government continued to keep small French boats out of UK waters. He said: “Each side should respect its commitments, otherwise we will be as brutal and difficult as necessary.”

The week before, French fishermen blockaded the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, claiming that only 22 of the 120 boats that usually worked from the Hauts-de-France had been given access to the zone six to 12 miles from the UK coast.

The UK government denied the claim and said the UK Single Issuing Authority had issued licences to fish in the six to 12 nautical mile zone to all 87 French vessels that had applied for them and met the qualifying criteria. The government said about 40 additional applications required further information and checks.