Donegal seafood sector "hopeful" on fuel aid

Fishing and seafood organisations say the are "hopeful" that the Minister for the Marine is about to announce a national fuel aid scheme for the Irish fleet. 

They believe the Minister now agrees that escalating fuel costs are causing serious difficulties for the industry. EU funding is already in place to support such a scheme, but to date, Ireland had failed to implement one.

Aodh O'Donnell of the Killybegs-based Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) said: "The survival of the entire fishing sector is at stake. But following a meeting with the Minister yesterday evening, we now believe he appreciates the urgency of the situation and will act soon. We thank him for the meeting, have collectively made our case and would welcome an early decision.

"The European Union has allocated unused funds in the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to cover the additional fuel costs. Other Member States responded to this some months ago and received the EU funds.

"The aid measures helped them reduce fuel costs by up to 30 %. But Ireland lagged behind on this aid, which created an uneven competitive landscape, as we still face higher fuel costs.”

Mr O'Donnell continued: "This left the Irish fleet at a serious competitive disadvantage- which flies in the face of EU competition policies. We are now optimistic that the Minister will announce an EU subsidy scheme which could level the playing field."

Mr O'Donnell said forcing the Irish fleet to land catches elsewhere has put them in a "lose-lose" situation.

"The marine economy loses the supply of valuable raw material, and this creates losses in onshore coastal employment" he said. "The economic spin-off is benefitting our competitors in France, a market traditionally supplied by fish caught by Irish vessels.

"Fish caught in Ireland a processed on our shores has a valuable premium in these markets. Losing quotas under Brexit already posed a challenge.

"Forcing our vessels to land these valuable quotas in France because of cheaper fuel is a body blow to the marine economy and with a further hollowing out of supply for processing.

"We have made the case, and we remain hopeful that a national fuel aid scheme can be introduced urgently. Irish fishermen have been very responsible in this matter, but an early decision is desperately needed."