The National Federation of Fishing Brotherhoods (FNCP) has decided to interrupt the general strike that has kept ships moored in many Spanish ports, after the announcement by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, about the Government’s measures to mitigate the rise in marine diesel.
The president of the FNCP, Basilio Otero, has confirmed to Efe that the brotherhoods have agreed that the fleet “go back to fishing”after analyzing the results of the meeting held this Wednesday between the minister and organizations from the fishing and aquaculture sector to address solutions to rising fuel prices.
In this way, the call for a strike by the FNCP ceases for the time being, which the shipowners supported and which has led to massive moorings for three days in a large part of the ports on the Spanish coast, with greater inactivity of the ships in Andalusia, the Mediterranean coast , Asturias and remarkable monitoring in all fishing areas.
Nevertheless, there were fleets that had previously stopped due to bad weather or the problems of the transport strike.
The Government will approve next Tuesday specific measures to limit the impact of increased cost of diesel in the operating costs of fishermen, as reported by Planas this Wednesday.
Among the actions that the Executive is studying are an advance of payments with funds from the European Union (EU) or the exemption of port taxes.
In this sense, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds (FNCP) has confirmed that the fishing fleet will make “a great effort going out to fish at a loss”, although they are aware “of the need to bring basic food” and have shown their confidence in the measures proposed by the Ministry.
Flat measures
Planas has advanced the Government’s intention to articulate a series of measures to help the fishing sector. “The Government, in the rule that will be approved next Tuesday, will include a support to limit the scope of price increases in relation to diesel on operating accounts“, assured Planas, who stressed that the “intention is to limit the impact of the cost of diesel as much as possible”.
“We intend that in the Royal Decree of next Tuesday there is already a specific mention of this community article in order to activate and reduce the deadlines for the receipt of aid by the beneficiaries of the sector,” he stressed.
However, Planas has not been able to specify the specific way in which these aids will be articulatedwhether fiscal or support, since it is something that “is yet to be determined” and the Government will have to define.
For its part, The Spanish fishing sector has valued the “good disposition” of the Government to face the “critical situation” that it is suffering from the increase in operating costs, especially diesel, after announcing that it will support them with aid, as well as from transport stoppages, which is affecting its activity.
The general secretary of Cepesca, Javier Garat, has lamented the lack of specificity and not knowing until next Tuesday the details of the aid that will go into the Decree Law, which will be approved that day by the Council of Ministers, but he has welcomed the fact that accelerate the aid from Brussels and an advance can be obtained so as not to have to wait for the community procedure.
For his part, the president of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, Basilio Otero, described the meeting with the Ministry as “positive”, where Planas “He has not shied away from talking about any measures.”
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However, Otero has lamented that the situation of the fleet is also being affected by the transport stoppage. “It is clear that transport paralyzes Spain. If there is no transport it will be difficult to go out to fish. The next step is that it can be reactivated and work can be done normally, but without transportation it will be difficult to work.”
Of the same opinion is the manager of Apromar, Javier Ojeda, who has highlighted how much aquaculture is suffering from the stoppage of transport. “It is especially annoying that the problems of one sector have to be suffered by the rest of society. We must find a solution to the issue because it is inadmissible,” he stressed.