Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opening up of the spurdog fishery and hope that the small processors across Ireland can open up a processing industry in that regard.

The Minister met NIFA at my request before Christmas in response to the collapse in the shrimp market, which he did at the drop of a hat, which I welcome. They had two asks. One was that the association would secure producer organisation, PO, status and we found out this week that this has been secured. The second ask was on the shrimp market and its collapse and we asked that he would provide a support package in that regard. That is the crux of what I want to speak about here today. We need a package to support that inshore sector, which has been severely and negatively impacted by the fact that the shrimp market has collapsed, mainly in Spain where much of our shrimp goes, and where the demand and the market for that species has collapsed.

The association has produced a graph that I have to hand. I am unsure if Members can see it from here but put simply, it shows the price they were receiving for shrimp in 2021 and then in 2022. One can see there has been a severe and dramatic collapse in the market for shrimp. That is my main ask of the Minister here today. He has responded before when we have come to him looking for extensions of schemes and when we looked for investment in our piers and harbours and I am confident that he will respond when we look for a package here also.

I will conclude on the subject of fuel costs, which have increased dramatically from 2018 up to 2022. My second ask of the Minister here today is that we look for a fuel subsidy for the inshore sector and, indeed, across the entire fishing industry, both inshore and offshore.

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