New year message from Andrew Crook of the NFFF

Firstly I hope everybody had a busy festive period but also managed to get some quality family time. Whilst not great for cash flow Christmas did fall well if you wanted to take some time off.

New year is a good time to look back at the past year and look forward to the year ahead. 2025 hasn’t been without its challenges for sure for us all but it also has been a time where many of us have had to look at our businesses and streamline them which for many, including myself, has been well over due.

I am currently out in Spain as I wanted to fulfil the last duty I had as a son and take my mums ashes and scatter them where scattered my dad’s, on Sohail Castle in Fuengirola.  As I have not had a relaxing break for a number of years I decided I wouldn’t get a better opportunity to grab a few days to relax and contemplate. I am currently sat on the town square watching the Christmas markets being dismantled as things start to get back to normal.

The hotel I am staying was built 22 years ago and my parents apartment overlooked it and the castle. When I went for breakfast on the first morning I realised the egg chef was the same guy who was here all those years ago. It got me thinking about the profession is perceived here compared to home. You can see in the restaurants and bars that there are professional waiters, they are proud of what they do and it is a respected career whereas at home these roles are often filled by transient staff, usually students and the jobs are not seen as a career but rather a way of earning money whilst studying. My manager who has been with me over 12 years says that she has had people looking down their nose at her when she has been at gatherings and told them what she does for a career. This is something that we have tried to change for many years but we have so far failed.

The other observation I have made is that hospitality is thriving here, yes obviously it is a tourist resort but there are more than just tourists filling the bars and restaurants, why? Well because it is cheap. Hospitality VAT is 10% in Spain but it would seem the tax on alcohol is lower as even in the hotel a pint of beer is under £4.50. The minimum wage is €9.60 but the cost of living is lower. The pace of life is also better but that’s a whole different story.

I know government in the UK are trying to create a high wage and high tax  economy but is that the right way to go? Each year everybody’s wages go up but so do the costs and often the wealth creators are the ones with stagnant or reducing earnings.  I think something has to give, especially if government want us to provide jobs, something this sector can do if given a stimulus but currently most are reducing their operational hours and the size of their teams, and that data is borne out across the sector.  The NFFF have done a lot of lobbying over the years and this will continue in 2026 as talking to MPs is the only way to bring about change and we thank all of our members who have written to their MPs and got them in to their business.

So looking to 2026 the NFFF will continue to speak to government about taxation and also employee rights. Without this work we run the risk of unworkable legislation that could not only be bad for the economy but also bad for employment, what looks good on paper can often have unpredictable consequences.

The elephant in the room is obviously fish prices. This is beyond anybody’s control but what we can do is work with key stakeholders to help promote alternative species and show in the media that the industry is being proactive to try to overcome the challenges we face. We will also work with our associate members and industry partners to provide support to operators to help try to get customers to be a little more adventurous when it comes to their fish purchases.

We also have a new xx CEO at Seafish and the NFFF will be reaching out as we currently get nothing tangible from the millions in levy the fish and chip industry collects  for them. If they can’t find a way to use the money to benefit those who raise it then maybe they should not be the ones to administer it.

2026 is not going to be without its challenges but working with other parts of the industry and sharing our experiences between ourselves we can help to turn things around. 

If you need any support or even just a chat we are here for our members so feel free to reach out. If you are not a member please consider joining as the more members we have the better we can represent the fish and chip industry.  I know not everybody always agrees with everything we do but we are acting in the best interest of the industry and are determined to build upon the great political activity we have built over recent years. 

I hope you all have a great new year and look forward to working with you all in 2026, whatever happens by working together we can make all challenges at little easier.

Andrew Crook

President – National Federation of Fish Friers