This article is from page 2 of the 2008-06-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
yesterday that the recent dramatic rise in the cost of diesel has increased his costs by almost 20 per cent, meaning that he is now operating at a loss.
“It’s an absolute joke that the Gov- ernment can just merrily take their percentage. They are going to have to take a cut. At the moment the Gov-
ernment of Ireland is getting more for the oil than the Arabs are get- ting for selling it. That doesn’t make Sense to me,” he said.
‘The fishermen in France and in other European countries all get a big cut on the tax on diesel. There has to be some way in capping the amount of money that the Govern- ment is taking on this. The business is not sustainable at current prices. So either I’m going to have to put up prices drastically or the price of diesel is going to have to be brought down somehow. I cant keep doing it under the current situation.”
Like many other Clare boat owners, Mr Aston was forced out of the com-
mercial fishing business a number and years ago. He took advantage of Government funding made available from Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) to diversify into chartered sea angling.
“IT was commercially fishing here in Carraigaholt until about five years ago and at that time we would have been the biggest boat fishing out of Clare. But it just wasn’t viable for us to keep going,” he said.
“We were lucky enough to get a di- versification grant from BIM to set up some marine tourism. I know that there are big boats out there that also received Government grant aid that could now easily go out of business. It doesn’t make sense.”
Clare TD and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture with special responsibility for fisheries, Tony Killeen, revealed yesterday that he has requested an early meeting with the European commissioner re- sponsible for fisheries and maritime PNR N Dace
“I am cogently aware of the dif- ficulties being experienced by the fishing industry at local and national level,’ he said.
“IT have requested a meeting with Commissioner Joe Borg to discuss these difficulties. I am aware that the issue will also be discussed at next week’s meeting of the Fisheries Council.”