Struggling fish and chip shops to ask Norway for more fish

Chip shops across the UK are asking Norway for more fish to help combat surging costs.

Rising energy bills and increased costs of cooking oil, potatoes and fish due to the war in Ukraine has meant the price of fish and chips has gone up.

Andrew Cook, who is president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, is set to ask for help on behalf of the industry at the Frozen At Sea summit in Alesund, Norway, on Wednesday,

“Most vessel owners in Norway produce headed and gutted fish that is then sent to be processed elsewhere,” Mr Crook said.

“I am hoping that I can get them to switch some vessels to produce fillets for my industry, as we need as many as we can get to help keep the price as under control as possible.”

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He added that the industry expects a 35% tariff on white fish from Russia, which will force the price of all fish up.

“We cannot be so reliant on supplies from one specific nation,” he added.

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The cost per kilo of Icelandic cod increased from £7.80 in October to £16, while potato costs have increased by 30%, according to the Daily Mirror.

In May, Mr Crook said that chip shops could close due to rising costs and he reiterated his warning again, saying that a third of chippies could shut and “action is needed now to ensure we get through this in the best shape possible”.

Image: Andrew Crook is president of the National Federation of Fish Friers

On 3 March, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen raised the issue in the Commons, telling politicians that “award-winning” fish and chip shops in his constituency have told him “the business outlook has never been more volatile, with record price rises for fish, batter, fat, wrapping paper and of course, energy”.

He said: “Many fish and chip shops are worried about whether they are actually going to survive, so, could we have a statement from the government about what action the government is going to take to ensure they protect the future of our fish and chip shops, a great part of British life?”

Commons Leader Mark Spencer jokingly told MPs “I declare an interest in fish and chips,” before adding: “Takeaways are a huge part of the night-time economy.

“Those businesses are actually a service they provide to our community and they should be supported.

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“I wish not only his fish and chip shop well, but all fish and chip shops all around the country.”

Sanctions imposed on Russia at the end of March meant price rises across the global seafood industry.

According to a 2020 report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Russia is one of the largest producers of seafood globally and was the fifth-largest producer of wild-caught fish.