Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2026
223. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to increase supports for fishermen and women and the fishing industry after the disastrous quota negotiations recently (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4662/26]
View answerThe outcomes of the December 2025 Fisheries Council will, regrettably, result in reduced fishing opportunities for Ireland's fishermen and women in 2026.
The most significant reduction relates to the Mackerel quota. The scientific advice - on which the EU bases its decisions on quota setting - reflects the impact of overfishing of the Mackerel stock by certain Third Countries. Ireland has repeatedly raised the overfishing of Mackerel by certain Coastal States outside the EU over recent years and has called for the EU to take a strong position to protect this valuable stock.
A range of supports and services are provided to the Irish fleet under Ireland's €258 million Seafood Development Programme, which is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2021-2027.
Together with Minister Heydon, I am establishing a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030 to develop a framework of supports to address the substantial challenges currently facing the sector.
