No more business as usual as EU quota decision puts Irish fishing industry on fatal course – Conor McGuinness TD
Devastating outcome of EU Fisheries Council yet another betrayal of Ireland’s fishing industry – Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD
Sinn Féin TD and chair of the Oireachtas Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Committee, Conor McGuinness has said that the outcome of the EU Fisheries Council makes clear that there can be no return to business as usual, with an already fragile fishing industry now placed on a fatal course that demands a radical reset in how Ireland approaches fisheries policy at European level.
McGuinness said:
“I am deeply concerned that this decision has brought the Irish fishing industry dangerously close to a point of no return. An industry that has endured decades of decline and policy failure is now being pushed towards a fatal outcome unless there is an immediate change of direction. ”
“This was not a sudden collapse. It is the result of a slow erosion of viability over many years. What this decision does is accelerate that decline, turning a long running crisis into a moment where the survival of vessels, processors and coastal communities is now genuinely in question.”
“The anger across the industry is entirely justified. What had been a prolonged weakening has now become a potentially fatal injury. Without urgent intervention and political resolve, the damage will be irreversible.”
“The scale of the threat is clear. The loss of 57,000 tonnes of quota in 2026, an estimated economic impact of up to €200 million a year, and more than 2,300 jobs placed in immediate danger represents a level of harm that any responsible government must treat as a matter of urgency.”
“The decision of other member states to vote against Ireland on the Hague Preferences adds a potentially fatal injury to decades of insult. This protection existed to prevent extreme shocks to fishing dependent states. Its removal fatally weakens Ireland’s ability to catch fish in our own waters while allowing the rest of the European Union free rein over a valuable national resource.”
“I have long called for an all of government approach, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin taking a hands-on role in negotiation given the scale of the crisis. As recently as Thursday I engaged directly with Martin urging him, as head of Government, to engage forcefully with European leaders.
“This outcome once again exposes the deep injustice at the heart of the Common Fisheries Policy. Ireland has been expected to absorb loss after loss, from the original CFP, through Brexit and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, to a quota system that consistently leaves our fleet on the margins while others consolidate their advantage. Our European ‘partners’ see us as a soft touch, and this has to end.”
“There is a fundamental imbalance in Ireland continuing to provide access to some of the richest fishing waters in Europe while being denied basic fairness when crisis strikes. That imbalance is now pushing the industry towards a dangerous and potentially fatal position.”
“Minister Dooley will appear before the Oireachtas Fisheries Committee on Tuesday, immediately on his return from Brussels. The committee will be seeking clear answers on how this outcome was allowed to occur, what immediate life support will be provided to the fleet and processing sector, and what alternative course the government now intends to pursue.”
“There can be no more managing decline and no return to business as usual. What is required is a radical reset and a wholly different approach from Ireland in how fisheries policy is treated at European level.”
“If that reset does not happen, the industry will continue on its current course. With the right political choices, it can still be stabilised and rebuilt. The responsibility now lies squarely with government.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Fisheries and the Marine, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD, has stated that the outcome of the European Union’s Fisheries Council is “a betrayal of Ireland’s fishing industry”.
He echoed the response of the Seafood Alliance, the coalition of Irish fishing and fish processing bodies, and he added “this must be the final insult for Ireland” on the impact of the European Union’s policies on our national and natural resource of fish in our own waters.
He said that there needs to be a radical reset of the approach of the Irish government, and called on the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to urgently intervene to make it clear that Ireland will not stand for this.
Teachta Mac Lochlainn said:
“This is an absolutely appalling outcome. Even the last veneer of fairness left for Ireland in the Common Fisheries Policy, the decades old Hague Preferences, has been stripped away by greed and indifference.
“Ireland’s seafood industry estimates that this outcome could cost our people €200 million a year and threaten thousands of jobs.
“This has to be the final insult for Ireland. For too long, our governments have offered meek resistance to the injustice of the Common Fisheries Policy. Vast resources have been taken from our territorial waters to enrich overseas corporations.
“In recent years, the European Union stood idly by and allowed Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Russia, assisted by Britain, to recklessly overfish the precious, shared Atlantic mackerel fishery.
“Corporations based in the European Union invested hugely in these fishing fleets and the European Union has again rewarded the utter greed of corporations and they have failed to defend vulnerable communities.
“The Common Fisheries Policy has been a long and deep injustice to our coastal and fishing communities. The outcome of Brexit and the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was a further betrayal of those communities – now this is the final insult.
“The Taoiseach and Tánaiste must urgently intervene and make it clear that Ireland will not stand for this. There needs to be a radical reset of the approach of our government. The days of meek resistance now must end.”
