Fishermen seek immediate aid after Brussels meeting

The European Commission has committed to provide an extra €600 million funding to the bloc’s fishing industry despite opposition from some member states at a meeting in Brussels last night. However, the funding won't be forthcoming until next year.

The agreement at the EU Fisheries Council was made to help the industry suffering because of fleet overcapacity and soaring fuel costs.

Fisheries Minister Tony Killeen, who attended the meeting, said there was opposition “from a large block of member states” to the allocation of any additional funds.

“However at the insistence of Ireland, Commissioner Borg re-iterated the commitments in their communication of the 8th of July to provide additional funding with the bulk of that funding to be provided during 2009,” Mr Killeen added.

The Federation of Irish Fishermen said it was “regrettable” that the EU funding would not happen until 2009. “This should not however prevent immediate action in Ireland,” the FIF added in a statement.

“FIF has always made clear that the extreme gravity of the situation facing the fleet right now means that the package of measures must proceed now, with exchequer funding if necessary to cover the programme the remainder of 2008, despite the acknowledged deterioration in the public finances,” the statement added.

The group said it expects the Government to move to implement temporary tie-up aid in coming weeks as the only way to ensure the short-term survival of a large portion of the sector.

“FIF will take every action open to it to ensure that the necessary funding is made available."

Labour Party spokesman on the marine, Senator Michael McCarthy said financial aid must be given to the fishing industry immediately.

"The cost of fuel is crippling the fishing industry. It has become an issue of the utmost importance to the future of fishing in Ireland. Diesel is now more than 45 per cent more expensive than it was in 2004. Fishermen are spending up to 80 per cent of their earnings on fuel," he said.

"The Government needs to make an intervention to save this industry from ruin. It is no exaggeration to say that this industry is on the brink of collapse."