The National Angling Alliance – the umbrella body for angling -has a set of snapshot figures demonstrating that the foot-and-mouthdisease has already had a huge geographical impact on angling-relatedbusinesses.
The information has allowed the NAA to make vigorousrepresentations to the Government’s Rural task Force to ensure thatthe sport receives the same consideration for financial relief asother countryside businesses.
Commercial coarse and game fisheries estimate they are currentlylosing £4m per week; income to the retail tackle trade was downby 38 per cent in March and the total losses to the trade alone couldreach £180m by the end of the year.
Now the NAA are in need of accurate data, vital to underpin theircase to the Government for a complete package of remedial measures,including: business rate relief, deferred Income Tax, NIC and PAYEpayments, and interest free loans to help reduce the impact of footand mouth on angling and the businesses it support.
To take part in the survey send a SAE to Mike Johnson, SportsIndustries Federation, Federation House, Stoneleigh Park CV8 2RF.
Dave Houghton
www.leisureangling.co.uk
