The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation is calling for the urgent introduction of measures to help alleviate the crippling price of fuel.
With fuel prices reaching a record high, Scottish fishermen are struggling to remain viable, given that fuel costs have doubled in the last four years and now typically account for around 50% of expenses for a single fishing trip.
Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, has already raised the issue with Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead, who has agreed to highlight industry concerns at a meeting tomorrow in Brussels (18 March) with EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.
Mr Armstrong said: “The Cabinet Secretary has given the undertaking to emphasise to Mr Borg both the general problem caused by the eye-watering cost of fuel and the perceived lack of a level playing field as a result of French and Spanish government actions to help their fishing fleets.
“He has also called for a report from his officials on the effects of the high fuel prices and has promised to meet with the SFF to discuss possible mitigation measures.”
Mr Armstrong added: “We realise that the driver is the world market and that oil prices are likely to remain high. The pain is spread universally across all consumers and commerce and we recognise that a direct subsidy for the fishing industry is unrealistic and likely to breach competition rules.
“What might realistically be available, however, is mitigation within the rules for some other cost elements.”
This could include cancelling or reducing the payment of light dues and the maintenance and operating costs for the mandatory vessel monitoring system (VMS) and the forthcoming electronic logbooks.
Mr Armstrong said: “It is simply not sustainable for the Scottish fleet to continue operating against the background of such crippling fuel costs and urgent action needs to be taken to alleviate the situation.”
