Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I must start with the recent European Commission decision that fishers must weigh their catch at the pier. Be under no illusion that this will be, as described by local fishers, the final nail in the coffin for the fishing industry. In County Wexford, fishers landing at Kilmore Quay bring their catch a mere 200 m from the pier to the factory to be weighed. It is entirely counterproductive to force them to invest thousands of euro in infrastructure to weigh at the pier. It is also costly in manpower, time and the quality of the product. Fish must be kept at a certain temperature for freshness and value. To demand the fish be de-iced, handled individually and then re-iced for transport to the factory is anti-fisher and ludicrous, especially when fishers and factory owners have no objections to thorough oversight by the SFPA within factories.

The Government needs to start backing up the fishers now. As matters stand, these plans are unworkable, unproductive and will force many fishers, particularly smaller boats, out of business. The weight ruling comes on top of the already deep outrage and discontent felt in fishing and coastal communities at the bleak outcome of the Brexit EU-UK fishing negotiations. This reduced fish quotas by a further 15%, which will cost €43 million per year. That outrage has continued and deepened as genuine fears around sustainability worsen and the lack of support continues.

Earlier this month, we discussed in this Chamber the rushing through of the Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2021. One of the concerns I had was the lack of consultation with small coastal communities and the businesses the legislation would affect. When I talk to fishers and people in small coastal businesses, they feel completely forgotten and ignored. Talk of decommissioning boats is antithetical to the interests of Irish fishers. They carry proud family traditions that are not for sale at any price. Measures must be put in place to favour the Irish fishing industry, not to bureaucratically strangle it.

I am worried about the sustainability and viability of the indigenous scallop fishers in County Wexford. The industry provides a livelihood for around 120 families. UK authorities confirmed on 1 April that import requirements for direct landings of live bivalve molluscs, LBMs, including scallops, are being delayed until 1 October 2021. The Minister has set up a seafood sector task force to deal with the many issues around Brexit, which is welcome. Will the plight of the scallop fishers fall within the scope of the task force? These fishers are rapidly running out of time. They cannot be left behind as the task force conducts its work. They are waiting to hear the fate of their livelihood and deserve to be kept up to date on any progress and on any help the Government is willing to offer. The interim report from the task force was published yesterday. I welcome that but the clock is ticking for Wexford scallop fishers and they are anxiously waiting to hear from the Minister.

Another example of a small coastal business being wiped out is the closure of Kilmore Seafood Limited in Wexford. The company is to cease trading after 30 years as it is suffering significant financial losses connected to Brexit.

This comes with the loss of 32 jobs. That is 32 families that face significant economic challenges coming out of the pandemic. This type of closure will be replicated around the country if the Government does not intervene with serious measures to address the barriers facing fishing communities.

The final issue I wish to raise with the Minister is about the move to offshore wind energy generation and the potential impact on fishing and coastal communities in terms of extra journeys, distances of routes and the loss of fishing grounds. I have raised the issue in this Chamber previously. As I said then, renewable energy is the future, but I also believe in the principle of just transition. I have concerns about the management of the impact of this essential infrastructure on small businesses which make their living from our waters. They must be included in meaningful negotiations and any anticipated harms mitigated in our move to a greener world. The concern is not just the wind farms themselves, but the imposed safety zones around them too, as they add distance by disrupting the regular routes of smaller boats. The loss of fishing grounds cannot be overemphasised. We want our move to renewable energy to be successful, but it must be done in a just and equitable manner for all concerned.

I urge the Minister to take on board the points I have raised with him. We must protect our fishing communities and the way to achieve this is by treating them with respect, integrity and meaningful engagement and by renegotiating the CFP.

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