French minister tells Boris Johnson: don't ban our fishermen from your waters

Boris Johnson, leader of the Britain's Conservative Party, leaves a private reception in central London, Britain July 23, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

PARIS (Reuters) - France's agriculture minister warned incoming British prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday against preventing French fishermen from fishing in British waters if Britain crashes out of the European Union without an exit deal later this year.

A British exit from the EU with no deal to smooth the process would automatically bar British boats from fishing in EU waters and EU boats from fishing off Britain. Brexit's impact on fisheries is particularly important to France.