Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the action that will be taken to alleviate the issues outlined in correspondence from an organisation (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25173/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I am currently involved in a series of meetings with the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) regarding the very difficult issues facing the Irish fishing industry. Minister Killeen and I attended the Council of Fisheries meeting in Luxembourg where we conveyed in the strongest possible terms the depth of feeling of Irish fishermen on these issues and the seriousness of the situation facing them. We outlined a strong case for a package of EU-funded measures, as discussed previously with the FIF, to address the current difficulties experienced by fishermen across Europe but, particularly in Ireland. I was pleased with the response of the EU Fisheries Commissioner Borg, who has undertaken to come back to the issues at the next Council meeting on the 15th July.