Suffolk farmers have found they have a lot in common with fishermen eking out a living on the bleak north-eastern coast of Scotland after heading there on a fact-finding tour.

Deben Farm Club visited Aberdeenshire on its summer tour - taking in Mackie's real dairy ice creams and its farm, Muirden Farm  - a large arable operation, farm diversification Lochter Activity Centre at Inverurie, Fyvie Castle and Glendronarch Distillery.

The farmers ended the tour with a visit to the UK's largest fishing port at Peterhead - including its state of art  fish market and Peterhead Maritime Academy. They learnt about the red tape pressures the fishing industry is under and how it survives.

They also got to sample some of the fresh catches at the Dolphin Café, where they enjoyed a fish and chips lunch.

Their trip - aimed at sharing knowledge across the fisheries and farming sectors - was featured in Fishing News.

Club chairman Richard Scott, who farms near Eye, said it was a "highly informative and eye-opening experience, essential for learning about other sectors of primary food production and sharing knowledge and experiences".

Woodbridge fishmonger and wholesale fish merchant Mike Warner of A Passion for Seafood - who organised the Peterhead section of the visit - said it was a highlight of the trip.

He was supported by former skipper turned seafood supplier Jimmy Buchan who offered insights into how the industry operates.

"They were very keen to investigate Peterhead fish market and harbour," said Mike. "I was only too happy to oblige.

"The main benefit for them was understanding the parallels of the issues we face in food production."

Peterhead - once a whaling then a herring port - has become a major white fish landing port, he said. 

But much of the catch heads overseas. The UK exports 80% of what it catches, while importing about 70% of the seafood eaten here, he said.

The trip opened the farmers' eyes to the similarities on post-Brexit issues - including the bureaucracy and the market opportunities, he added. "It was a delight taking them around."

Ironically - unlike the café where they ate lunch - the majority of UK fish and chip shops use cod and haddock sourced from abroad, said Mike. 

This is because the UK catch is bought whole and filleted by processors, while overseas fishing fleets such as from Norway fillet and freeze catches as they go - providing a convenient wholesale product for fish and chip shop owners.

"It's a paradox - my job is to promote British seafood to the British consumer," he said.

He runs a fishmonger's at Grange Farm at Hasketon, near Woodbridge, which sells British fish from sites all over the UK. Suffolk has its own fishing industry, but it is very small.

A few fishermen remain in Southwold, Aldeburgh and Lowestoft, but the industry is much diminished. The last three fishing boats at Orford have disappeared due to retirement and legislative pressures, said Mike. 

"There are a few clinging on but there's no succession and no youngsters coming into the industry," he said. "There's just not enough fish on the east coast."

Fishermen blame the lack of catches on the offshore energy industry and the destruction it has caused with cabling and development, he said. "The offshore energy sector has had a massive impact on fish populations," he claimed.

He blamed problems such as electro-magnetic fields from cabling which had "messed up" fish migratory patterns. The Dutch had also overfished the area, he added.

Deben Farm Club members listen to a talk at the port of Peterhead (Image: Mike Warner)