Minister says he had positive meeting with fishing industry

A positive meeting was held with the fishing industry this week, Minister Charlie McConalogue has said.

The meeting comes in advance of the traditional December EU Agri Fish Council which focuses on negotiations on fishing stocks for the year ahead.

The meeting, hosted in Dublin by the Minister, brought together the representatives of the fishing industry in Ireland to discuss the Council meeting and negotiations on stocks for 2023.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Donegal TD said: “Engagement between the fishing industry and Government is really important. We came together to complete the important Seafood Sector TaskForce Report which has set the way for the future of fishing in Ireland and to complete Ireland’s Common Fisheries Policy Review Report.

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"The meeting this week was useful and constructive in discussing Ireland’s approach to EU negotiations and I look forward to meeting with the industry again in Brussels at the December Council, the first time the industry has been able to attend since the pandemic.”

Meanwhile Fishing industry representatives have also welcomed a commitment from the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar that Fine Gael will take a leading role in transforming the fishing sector.

The commitments were secured at a series of meetings at the recent Fine Gael Ard Fheis.

“We now have a clear sense that the government is committed to reversing the decline of the Irish fishing industry over the past 20 years,” said Brendan Byrne, CEO of the IFPEA (Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association. 

Members of the IFPEA , Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisations (ISWFPO) attended the Ard Fheis. 

"A healthy series of meetings and debates were on fishing was part of the schedule for the day. The Dunkineely, Bruckless and Killybegs Branch of Fine Gael were well represented in Athlone with members representing the interests of the sector."