Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine joined other European Ministers with responsibility for fisheries in Brussels to determine fishing quotas for the next year. This week the Minister warned that the Council will be one of the most difficult in years. Ireland has a long history of being treated unfairly in this area and these threats are nothing new for fishing communities. The EEC effectively strong-armed us into giving away our rights to fish our own waters when we joined. These negotiations could affect the ability of the Council to agree quotas for mackerel, blue whiting and herring in 2013 and would also affect where Irish fishing vessels can fish next month. If this is not enough, they also face double-digit cuts in many quoted stocks which are vital for the Irish fishing industry. These proposed reductions would amount to a direct income cut for fishermen of €17 million and the full cost when the effect on fish factories and others are factored in is approximately €54 million, with up to 500 full and part-time jobs being put under threat.

Year after year fishermen live in uncertainty as to where their futures lie and they are in a constant battle to make a modest living. The bureaucracy of the fishing industry at EU level is taking its toll not only on fishermen but on fishing communities and the country as a whole. A fundamental change in EU fishing policy is what is essentially required to ensure the sustainability of our communities in the long-term guaranteeing a fair share for Ireland. What will the Government do to support coastal communities which could lose so much of their income? Does the Taoiseach have a contingency plan in place in the event of a breakdown and the loss of so many jobs?

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