Marine Times

“Inshore fisheries will not survive on the watery gruel of Government rhetoric”

The Rural Independent Dail motion demanding a €12 million financial support package for inshore fishermen has been approved. However, there has been no guarantees by the Minister that the money will be made.

Speaking following the Dail debate Michael Collins TD said: “We welcome the support of the Dail for our Motion today. However, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue showed a complete lack of understanding and gross insincerity of the needs of small-scale fishermen, as he outrightly failed to provide a concrete guarantee, that the sector would receive the requested €12 million emergency funding package – as requested by the motion. Instead, the minister demonstrated gross incompetence as he engaged in ‘game’ of deflection tactics and ‘petty political squabbling’.

“Once again, the Rural TDs redouble their call for the acute urgency in the government sanctioning a €12 million direct state financial package to mitigate the socio-economic pressures on the sector and support the vitality of coastal communities.

“Failure by the Minister and the government to act upon the direction of this motion will result in 9 in every 10 of Ireland’s fishing fleet, facing a wipe-out situation, with up to 3,000 jobs in rural areas being placed in jeopardy in rural coastal communities

“It is completely unacceptable and bitterly disappointing that the Minister with responsibility for fisheries and the government would flippantly accept the contents of the motion in the Dail today, yet give absolutely no guarantee that the €12 million allocations will be made. It is a devious way to treat small-scall fishers who are under astronomical pressure.

“These fishers deserve to be treated honestly and fairly. The ‘nod and wink’ politics of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will be letting them all be down. This matter is too important for these establishment parties to be playing politics with people’s livelihoods.

“We know from the recent BIM report, that fuel costs for fishermen have skyrocketed by 114 percent over the past year and this cost alone now represents 28 percent of the average fleet’s operating costs.

“The government cannot ignore this situation. We need this grant scheme up and running immediately, to allot available EU funds to all impacted inshore boats through the BIM grant porthole system. Doing this would enable an almost instant allocation system to be established providing short-term immediate relief.”

Speaking during the debate Deputy Collins said; “I and my colleagues have made a clear and unambiguous case for the immediate allocation of financial support to inshore fisheries. If that is not provided then the signal will go out yet again that we have a Government, for all of its rhetoric, that does not actually give a damn what happens when it comes to fisheries.”

So let’s see what the Ministers next move will be ….