sanctions
Sanctions Effect the UK
Vocabulary
| process | plant (2) | fillet |
| mackerel | normally | one in five |
| ship | import | export |
| pelagic | world | earth |
| industry | worth | pound (2) |
| job | depend on | join |
| general (3) | manager | freeze |
| lunar | effect | sanction |
| based | north | south |
| east | west | percent |
| mackerel | herring | therefore |
| ban | share (2) | large/larger/largest |
| market (2) | gone | long-term |
| damage | prospect | short-term |
| vessel | cancel | send/sent |
| due | shipment | sell/sold/sold |
| load | impose | already |
| another | easy | lose/lost/lost |
| switch | need | easier said than done |
| replace | effort | easy/easier/easiest |
| rather | of course | resolve |
| enjoy | concern | market share |
| own | owner | pay/paid/paid |
| dock | worry | workforce |
Video: Scottish Fish Exports
Transcript
This processing plant is filleting mackerel. Normally one in five of the company’s fish is shipped to Russia. It’s the biggest importer of pelagic fish, which is what this is, in the world.
The industry is worth tens of millions of pounds here in Peterhead — and thousands of jobs depend on it.
Well I’m joined now by the general manager of Lunar Freezing, Sinclair Bank.
Journalist: Sinclair, what effect does the sanctions have on your business?
Sinclair: Well Lunar is fishing and fish processing company based in the northeast of Scotland. And the largest percentage of our business depends on mackerel and herring.
And therefore, if there is a ban to Russia, that is a large share of our market that is gone. So it could be very damaging to the long-term prospects of the mackerel industry.
Journalist: Now you were meant to be sending a vessel of herring to Russia on Monday, and you’ve had to cancel that, haven’t you?
Sinclair: Yep, we had sold a shipment of herring to Russia; the vessel was due to load on Monday. It’s now been canceled because of sanctions that have been imposed.
Journalist: So you’re already losing money?
Sinclair: Well, it’s already had an effect. We’ve sold herring. We’re going to have to sell to another market.
Journalist: That’s easier said than done, though, isn’t it, because Russia is the biggest market of this fish in the world? How are you going to so easily switch markets?
Sinclair: Well Russia’s been importing pelagic fish for a hundred years, from Scotland and the UK. And therefore it’s a big market we need to replace. That wouldn’t be done easily. But we will make every effort.
But we’d rather the problem was resolved, so we can enjoy the market share we’ve had in Russia.
Journalist: Thank you Sinclair.
Well there are several businesses here in Peterhead that is concerned about these sanctions. One business owner told me that he’s got a shipment of 200,000 pounds worth of herring sitting in the dock in St. Petersburg. And he doesn’t even know if he’s going to be paid for it.
So it’s a very worrying time for businesses here. And of course, for the workforce.
Questions
1. Where did the news report take place? What takes place there? What happens there?
2. Fishing and fish processing is a big industry in the UK. Is this true or false?
3. Do you think Sinclair agrees with the economic sanctions?
4. What do they say about ships and vessels?
5. It would be very difficult to find new markets for their fish. Is this correct or wrong?
6. What does Sinclair hope for?
7. Is Sinclair the only person who is concerned (worried)?
A. Why are there economic sanctions, embargoes and boycotts?
B. What do you think of economic sanction?
C. Are sanctions the best solution?
