Fuel crisis prompts key meeting

Scotland’s farmers, fishermen and road hauliers will meet tomorrow to discuss the fuel crisis – and possible further action to highlight the problems they are facing.

The historic meeting will for the first time put the leaders of NFU Scotland, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and the Road Haulage Association in the same room.

The announcement came the same day as protesters from haulage firms descended on the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to urge Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson to put pressure on the UK Government to reduce duty.

NFU communications director Bob Carruth said tomorrow’s gathering in the capital would discuss the problems the various sectors were facing because of escalating fuel prices.

Mr Carruth said another key part of the meeting would be to review the discussions that all three groups have had in recent meetings with the UK Government to discuss fuel issues. He added: “There is no formal agenda set and it will be a case of all sitting down and getting to know each others’ problems.”

Mr Carruth said NFU president Jim McLaren was keen to find out the pressures that high fuel costs were having on the fishing fleet and hauliers. He views it is as important that all sides work collectively to put further pressure on the UK Government to act.

NFU Scotland has no plans for fuel protests itself.

Mr McLaren said fuel costs had doubled in the last year with the red rebated diesel used by agriculture now selling for between 67-72p a litre. He said farmers had been penalised as duties on red diesel since Labour came to power in 1997 had soared 275% to 9.69p a litre, against the 24% increase seen in tax levels on unleaded petrol and the 41% for conventional derv.

RHA Scottish regional director Phil Flanders said he hoped all sides could secure an agreement from the meeting to work to together.

Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong said there was still a lot of political lobbying to be done.

He hoped the three groups could combine forces to do that as well as highlight the importance of securing primary food production. He did not rule out protests, warning there were only so many times organisations could go to government and be refused assistance before they considered other means.

Around 80 lorries travelled to the parliament yesterday to apply more pressure on the Holyrood Government.

One of the organisers of the demonstration, David McCutcheon, who said a rebate scheme of the type that already applied to the bus and ferry industries must be introduced, claimed deliveries to supermarkets could be threatened if costs do not come down.

Mr McCutcheon revealed that his firm Bullet Express was having to pay an extra £125,000 a year for fuel.

“We are part of the infrastructure of the country and if we stop delivering for more than three or four days the shelves would be empty and this country would come to a halt,” he added.

“If the government doesn’t listen to what is happening today, in the short term that is what is going to happen.”

Mr McCutcheon predicted that fuel protests could become a weekly occurrence unless urgent action is taken to alleviate the situation.

Mr Stevenson said he “understood absolutely” the concerns and lobbying Westminster for action was the right thing to do.

“We will make sure this message gets across – we are on the case,” he added.

A meeting between Britain’s fisheries departments is also due to be held tomorrow to discuss what, if any, steps can be taken to assist fishermen.

Mr Armstrong said the sector was also still looking to Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead for help.

He added he would “not be pleased” if civil servants cancelled or delayed tomorrow’s meeting or just issued another no.