Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Minister indicated that supports have been made available by the Government to fleets in the form of tax rebates. As he said, it is not accessible for the owners of smaller boats that do not operate on big enough margins to register for VAT. That is a support only in place for larger players. Small boats generally operate using petrol engines as opposed to diesel. There are no supports available to those fishers. The Minister says he accepts that, but what is his response? Rising fuel costs over the past few years have eaten into the marginal profits of small-scale fishers. If this is not addressed, it will drive inshore fishers out of business. In 2022, the European Commission activated crisis measures under the European maritime fisheries and aquaculture fund to support the sector in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Other EU countries, as I said, like France, are using that fund to support small-scale fishers using petrol engines. I ask the Minister for Agriculture to do the same. The sector has been crying out for these supports for years. Will the Minister outline how much European funding to fisheries and the marine remains unallocated?

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