The fishermen call off the strike

The Spanish fishing sector decided this Wednesday to call off the strike of the fleet, which had been moored at the port since last Friday, after the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, who has advanced the Government’s intention to articulate a series of measures to alleviate the rise in diesel.

In this way, sources from the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds (FNCP) confirmed to Europa Press that the fishing fleet calls off the strike and will make “a great effort going out to fish at a loss”, although they are aware “of the need to bring food of first necessity” and showed their confidence in the measures proposed by the Ministry.

Planas advanced the Government’s intention to articulate a series of measures to help the fishing sector due to the increase in diesel prices that will be included in the ‘Response Plan to the consequences of the war in Ukraine’, which will be approved on the 29th of March. “The Government, in the rule that will be approved next Tuesday, will include support to limit the scope of price increases in relation to diesel on operating accounts,” said Planas, who stressed that the “intention is to limit to maximize the impact of the cost of diesel.

“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 could not specify the specific way in which these aids will be articulated, be it fiscal or support, since it is something that “is still to be determined” and the Government will have to define.

Good disposition

For its part, the Spanish fishing sector valued the Government’s “willingness” to deal with the “critical situation” it is suffering from the increase in operating costs, especially diesel, after announcing that it will support them with aid, as well as the transport stoppages, which is affecting its activity.

The general secretary of Cepesca, Javier Garat, lamented the lack of specificity and the fact that the details of the aid that will go into the Decree Law, which will be approved that day by the Council of Ministers, will not be known until next Tuesday, but he welcomed the acceleration of 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 “has not refused to speak of any measure.” However, Otero 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 transportation, it will be difficult to go fishing. The next step is that it can be reactivated and work can be done normally, but without transport it will be difficult to work.

Of the same opinion is the manager of Apromar, Javier Ojeda, highlighted how much aquaculture is suffering due to 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 said.