January 30th, 2003

Once again our fishing industry has been badly let down. Politicians had promised compensation to ensure a sustainable future but what have our fishermen been offered?

The UK government has ruled out an approach to Brussels for support. It has left the Scottish Executive to pick up the tab for Scotlands fishing industry, with the announcement of a 50 million package. Yet more than 100 million is needed if Scotlands fishing industry is to have any prospect of a viable future. And where is that 50 million to come from? Is it new money or is Peter being robbed to pay Paul, with the money coming largely from an already overstretched Rural Development budget?

It beggars belief that our rural economy, which is so fragile that the cracks are beginning to show, is expected to meet the full force of the compensation package to the fishing industry.

These men and women not just fishermen but processors, wives, families - face losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing the very community in which they live. Facing a future of financial ruin for what adhering to the deeply flawed CFP over the past 30 years. The reward for these thousands of ruined lives is an under funded, inappropriately allocated compensation package which signally fails to meet their needs.

If ever there was a time for a strong challenge to the Labour-led Executive's policy on supporting and protecting its rural workforce, particularly our fishermen today, it is now.

Struan Stevenson MEP