Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
877. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action being taken to address the most recent cuts to Ireland's fishing quotas, following on from previous cuts of 26% in 2024 as a result of Brexit, and 22% in 2025; if he accepts that these cuts will have a devastating impact on the Irish fishing fleet and processors, especially the inland fisheries sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9355/26]
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 arising from December Council 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 stock by certain Third Countries. I have repeatedly raised the overfishing of Mackerel by certain Coastal States outside the EU at meetings of European Fisheries Ministers and I have called for the EU to take a strong position to protect this valuable stock.
In response to the impact of the outcomes of last December's Council, 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 Ireland's seafood sector. The Terms of Reference of that Group are being finalised and, once approved, all relevant stakeholders will be contacted regarding their participation on the committee; including representatives from the processing and catching (both offshore and inshore) sectors. "Inland fisheries" relate to fisheries in rivers and lakes etc. and so will not be covered by this Working Group.
Mr. Michael Berkery, former General Secretary of the Irish Farmer's Association, has been appointed to act as an independent Chairperson for this group. I am confident that, under his impartial leadership, the contribution of all committee members will be considered to the benefit of Ireland's seafood sector.
In terms of Brexit impacts - the Seafood Sector Taskforce made a number of recommendations to leverage Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funding to support Ireland's seafood sector and coastal communities in responding to the challenges posed by Brexit. In the context of BAR schemes implemented by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, under the oversight of my Department, just over €178 million was paid out under fisheries, aquaculture, processing and blue economy support schemes. Further information is available online from [BIM - The Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund].
The Department administered the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure (BALAMI) Scheme directly, which saw an investment of €40.4 million to modernise and enhance local authority owned marine infrastructure to help offset the impacts of Brexit on our seafood sector.
