Industry Worried That New Medical Requirements Will Ban Overweight Fishermen

The post-Brexit fishing dispute has been centred around the number of licences issued by the UK to small French vessels. Ben Birchall/PA

The introduction of new medical certification requirements has sparked frustration among UK fishermen, who argue that the rules may force some individuals to lose up to a quarter of their weight by November or lose out on work.

By the end of November 2023, anyone working on a UK fishing vessel must have a certificate of medical fitness.

However, the doctor-approved certificate, which asks patients to declare whether they have a body mass index (BMI) above 35 (pdf), has angered some in the fishing industry as “a complete nightmare.”

Others say that there is no evidence that any accidents have been caused by a fisherman being overweight.

In 2018, the UK adopted the Work in Fishing Convention by the International Labour Organization, with the government opting for a phased adoption period of five years before implementing the mandatory medical certification.

An ML5 certificate is required for fishermen on smaller boats, while an ENG1 is needed for those on larger boats.

View of fishing boats and a net in the coastal town of Macduff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on Oct. 18, 2020. Alexander Smith/Reuters

In Breach of Regulations

There were around 11,000 fishermen in 2021, according to UK Fisheries statistics from last year.

Sarah Ready of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association, which represents around 80 percent of the UK fleet, told The Epoch Times that she is meeting the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for an urgent meeting over the issue next week and is also seeking legal advice.

“Fishermen now have until November to get a medical certificate or they will be in breach of regulations,” she said.

“It’s a complete nightmare. I can say hand on heart that it’s impacting the mental health of fishermen because a lot of them have been overweight for two decades and you can’t just suddenly think, ‘Wow, I’m going to lose a quarter of my body weight,’” she added.

She said that singling out fishermen with a higher BMI was unfair, and their body shape was often tied to long hours and heavy work involved on deck. She also pointed out that rugby players often score poorly on BMI tests, where height and weight are compared.

Ready added that there is a lack of GPs willing to undertake ML5 examinations, on top of long waiting times for appointments.

She also feared that some fishermen who don’t pass the ML5 may feel forced to fish without insurance.

Ready added that the way the government is running it is “actually causing more of a safety issue” than if it was “slowed down and it had actually got the policy implementation right, rather than trying to drive it through before the end of November.”

A fishing boat sits moored in the harbour in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, on Feb. 4, 2017. Andy Buchanan /AFP via Getty Images

‘Reassurance That They Are Medically Fit’

The government said that “working on the water means you are further away from medical facilities and treatment so need to have a suitable level of health, one of the many reasons the medical certificate is required by international law.”

At the end of January, Julie Carlton, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) head of Seafarer Safety and Health, said that by “getting an ML5 certificate, fishermen have the reassurance that they are medically fit enough to do their work, without causing a risk to themselves or others.”

“In turn this reduces the risk of falling ill while at sea, and means our search and rescue assets can be sent to other incidents that couldn’t have been predicted,” she said.

“The work of fishermen is both physically and mentally demanding, so health needs to be put first. This law further accelerates our mission of protecting lives at sea,” she added.

Existing fishermen who are eligible and have pre-existing medical conditions such as BMI concerns and colour blindness may be issued with a medical certificate under “grandfather rights,” as long as they do not pose an immediate risk to safety.

‘The Terrible Consequences’

In a statement, The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations said that they do not believe that a “single instance will be found in the reports of the MAIB [Marine Accident Investigation Branch] of an accident being caused by a fisherman being overweight.”

“By contrast, the terrible consequences of the toll that these rules are taking on fishermen’s mental health can all too easily be imagined,” it added.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email that they wanted to “reassure people that introducing medical certificates is not to prevent existing fishermen from working.”

“We are supporting and preparing fishermen in the lead up to this requirement coming into force. We have made sure Grandfather Rights are in place, which considers pre-existing medical conditions,” she said.

“There is still plenty of time to get your medical certification. The Medical Administration Team at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is happy to give advice on how to go about this,” she added.