Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister of State is standing in for the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, but that answer disappoints me. The facts are that tomorrow week, there will be hundreds of trawlers coming up the Liffey by way of protest. The reasons for this are that countries like Belgium have a larger quota for certain species than the Irish have. We have been totally unrepresented. The Minister, through the Commissioner and the Commission, must stand up for the rights of these fishermen. To say that the SFPA will do its job is grossly unfair. Why is the SFPA not in places like Castletownbere and Dingle, and other ports like Killybegs or Ros an Mhíl, weighing the fish brought in by the French and the Spanish monthly or weekly? That is ignored but the poor Irish guys, especially the inshore fishermen, are really overpoliced. They can - excuse the language - go to hell. The treatment of the inshore fishermen over the years, by the SFPA and this Government or previous Governments, has been a disgrace and nothing less.

With due respect, I know the SFPA is independent, but if it does not listen, the fishermen will not lie down. They have communities and families. This will only be the start of some sort of a fishing war that is not going to go away in the short term. Public representatives, whether they be Deputies or Senators, will regret the decisions being made by Europe and enforced by the SFPA. Somebody has to wake up and smell the roses.