FuelClub Discount

Holyrood Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said the fleet was facing having to fork out tens of millions of pounds extra because of the issue.

He will use a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels to press the need for more assistance for the industry.

The meeting will also be attended by UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

Mr Lochhead said ministers had to ensure the “renewed confidence” in the industry, which followed a period of quota cuts and the scrapping of fishing boats to cut back the fleet, was not undermined.
(more…)

With Scottish boats unable to put to sea because of soaring fuel costs, the resultant failure of Scotland to fully catch its share of fish could result in the future reallocation of quotas by the EU to subsidised foreign fleets.

This will be just one of the many concerns that the SFF will highlight to Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead at a meeting in Aberdeen later today (12 May) to discuss the fuel crisis.

Bertie Armstrong, chief executive, said: “The obvious question is why fishing should be more deserving of support compared with other industry sectors such as road haulage.
(more…)

Opposition leaders said ministers had been “caught napping” by the strike at the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland, adding that the dispute had serious national consequences.

The industry body warned that the closure of the BP Forties pipeline – which supplies one third of the UK’s oil and gas – would cost £50 million a day and urged ministers to stop the country being “held to ransom”.

The dispute is between workers and the plant’s owner, Ineos, over the decision to close a final salary pension scheme to new workers.

It appeared no closer to being resolved yesterday and the Unite union, which represents about 800 of the striking workers, said that while there are no firm plans, “there will be the possibility of further strikes”.
(more…)

Company spokesman Richard Longden said: “If the general public buy fuel normally, there won’t be a problem.”

He added: “There will be disruption but we are doing everything in our powers to minimise any disruption there will be to the motorist.”

The strike over proposed pension changes is due to start on Sunday.
(more…)