The fleet exit program, now renamed the individual support program, is a compensation program for the fishing industry. It is a compensation mechanism that allows vessels to be scrapped. Eligibility for the fleet exit scheme is strict; it compensates fishermen who can no longer exploit a resource, for example, and who find themselves unable to work.
An agreement was signed in late 2020 regarding post-Brexit relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union. This agreement allowed European fishing vessels to continue fishing in British waters. However, this authorization was granted subject to proof of renewal of fishing rights, followed by the submission of a license application. Following this, a number of licenses were granted to European vessels; however, many applications remained pending, particularly for French vessels fishing in the 6-12-mile British zone.
It should be noted that, as Olivier LEPRÊTRE, president of the Hauts-de-France Regional Fisheries Committee, clearly stated, “60% of the catch by fishermen in the Hauts-de-France region is taken within the 6-12-mile British zone”; this wait for authorization therefore resulted in lost income for the affected fishermen and upstream industry stakeholders. To address this, the then-Minister for the Sea, Annick Girardin, launched the industry support plan on April 23, 2021.
After little progress, during the Fisheries and Seafood Conference in Saint-Pol-de-Léon in November 2021, the former Minister for the Sea announced the implementation of a Fleet Exit Plan (PSF), open to volunteers affected by Brexit. In other words, this plan aimed to compensate fishermen who had not obtained these licenses and could no longer continue working in the industry.
This announcement came as a bombshell to most of the industry, which no longer felt supported.
Almost two years later, not all licenses have yet been granted in Brittany, Hauts-de-France, and Normandy. In response, the implementation of this compensation plan was announced on October 6, 2022, under the name “individual support plan” (PAI), with a budget of 60 million euros. Employers wishing to apply for this aid had until mid-November to submit their request; then, if accepted, 90 days to remove the vessel(s) from the fleet.
