Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead has been attending the European Union council on agriculture and fisheries in Luxembourg.
Speaking following the meeting Mr Lochhead said:
“Today the impact of crippling fuel prices and how we help our fishing fleets through this difficult time was top of our agenda at the EU Fisheries Council.
“When I met fisheries commissioner Joe Borg in Brussels a few weeks ago, I urged him to recognise the plight of our fishing fleets in the face of rising fuel costs. The package of measures discussed shows that the EU Council is now accepting that this is a serious issue. I urge the EU Council to move quickly to introduce measures that can support Scotland.
“We will now consider what the suggested package means for Scotland, particularly how we can use European Fisheries Fund money early to drive forward fuel efficiency measures for the Scottish fleet. The Fuel Efficiency Expert Group has met today and will report back to the Fuel Task Force on July 4.
“However, it is vital that any EU support package is not tied to decommissioning and takes into account that unlike other countries our fleet has already downsized in recent years.
“Scottish Ministers continue to put pressure on the UK Government to recognise that it must now open the purse strings and provide some of the windfall it has received from high fuel prices to help the UK’s fleets. Scotland’s fleet needs short, medium and longer term support. I have met Scottish industry representatives twice while in Luxembourg and we continue to work side by side through this difficult time.”
