After nationwide protests and blockades of fuel depots, the Irish government has released a EUR 505 million (USD 595 million) emergency fuel support aid package, which includes money set aside specifically for the country’s fishing industry.
Under the scheme, which has been greenlit by the E.U., up to EUR 5 million (USD 5.92 million) per month will be allocated to support the nation’s fishing industry and other sectors affected such as forestry and specialist horticulture. The scheme, as of now, will apply retroactively from March until July.
“We appreciate that the fishing industry has been included in the support package announced,” Killybegs Fishermen’s Organization CEO Dominic Rihan told SeafoodSource. “It provides temporary mitigation from the negative impacts on the Irish fleet from the elevated fuel price and, thus, incentivizes vessels to continue fishing while shielding the domestic seafood market from disruption in supply and maintaining continuity of supply for seafood exporters to the international market.”
Michael O’Brien, a regional officer for Unite the Union, a labor union representing fishery workers among other industries, said the rise in fuel prices is creating issues for fishers who don’t own the vessel on which they work, as they are typically paid a percentage of the catch.
Therefore, if an owner decides fuel costs are too high to justify heading out to sea, “there is now no obligation on the trawler owner to pay them,” he told SeafoodSource.
The aid package comes four years after Irish fishermen received similar assistance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rihan said at that time, the Irish fishing industry received no direct support to offset high fuel costs but was supported through an E.U. scheme covering losses the Irish fleet took on due to Brexit.
“Under the E.U. Brexit Adjustment Reserve, a temporary tie-up scheme was introduced that, at the time, shielded vessels from the high fuel costs and conserved stocks,” he said.
Ireland now joins such nations as France, Spain, and Thailand that have introduced support packages to help their fisheries sectors weather the recent spike in fuel costs.
