World News for Students of English

11-06-2024 15:00

The island of Skye in Europe is feeling the negative impact of Brexit.

Three generations of the McKinnon family worked in fishing, and they supported Brexit because of catch quotas. But they are now disappointed because they didn’t get much benefit. They sell langoustines, crabs, and lobsters mostly to Europe, but prices are falling, and there is more paperwork. The Scottish salmon industry is important for jobs on Skye. It loses up to 100 million pounds a year because of Brexit. The island also lost European Union benefits and now depends on less helpful aid from Westminster.

The British government promised new markets, but Skye’s people didn’t see any benefits. Finding workers is hard, and that affects tourism and building. Local people say that Brexit made things more expensive and harder. Some hope that Scotland will become independent and join the EU.

Difficult words: quota (limit on the amount of something), benefit (a helpful or good effect), aid (help).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.