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Minister held accountable by Oireachtas Committee
Today, 16th December, Minister for State with responsibilities for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley TD appeared in front of an angry Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs to explain the disastrous outcome of last week’s EU fisheries negotiations where, basically, Ireland was ‘ganged up upon’ by four member states, abetted by a corrupt EU Council / Commission system that seems to promote the benefit of certain countries at the cost of smaller nations, such as
ifsacormac
Dec 16, 20254 min read
Ireland again the corrupt EU Commission ‘whipping boys’
The Irish fishing industry will this morning be in shock and coming to terms with the failure, once again, of the Irish Government to show some backbone in standing up to the fishing industry (with probably a similar outcome next week for the Mercosur dealing a blow to Irish farmers). Usually the outcome of this annual Council of Ministers quota negotiations leaves Irish fishermen with losses but with also some crumbs of comfort but this time, with no change to proposed massi
ifsacormac
Dec 13, 20252 min read
On a cliff edge
In less than 24 hours’ time the 2025 EU Council of Ministers will begin its annual ‘horse trading’ of quotas which will determine the TACs (Total Allowable Catches) of various species across the EU Member States for the coming year. Notoriously, Ireland has never fared well in the outcome of these negotiations in the past, partly due to infamously weak Irish DAFM negotiators but also due to slick operators in other more powerful fishing EU Member States … and Irish fishermen
ifsacormac
Dec 10, 20256 min read
The three card trick
Editorial Comment - Cormac Burke, IFSA As recently reported in The Fishing Daily (November 26th) Minister of State for Fisheries Timmy Dooley raised more than a few eyebrows when, at the latest meeting with the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Fisheries, he announced a further allocation of €5.7 million which will “underpin Ireland’s commitment to significantly expand its Marine Protected Area (MPA) network from its current level of 8% coverage of Ireland’s maritime area to 30%
ifsacormac
Nov 26, 20255 min read
Media propaganda attempt to hide SFPA failings
Irish Examiner article castigates Irish fishing industry for demanding the same level of regulation and control from the SFPA as other EU Member States receive from their regulators The following article, which was published in the Irish Examiner in recent days, goes to great lengths to undermine the justified calls by all Irish fishing industry representative bodies for a review of the actions of the Sea Fisheries Protection ‘Authority’, its heavy handed approach, and the fa
ifsacormac
Nov 17, 20256 min read
Dredging for the truth
Editorial Comment Cormac Burke, IFSA Those of you in the fishing industry who follow the never ending well-funded attacks on this...
ifsacormac
Sep 10, 20254 min read
OPEN LETTER - - IFSA
***************************************** This farce must stop! An Open Letter to Minister Timmy Dooley and to the members of the...
ifsacormac
Jul 5, 20253 min read
IFSA attends Oireachtas Fisheries Committee meeting
The following link is to the IFSA Opening Statement submission to this Committee, but the meeting in full can be viewed a link on the...
ifsacormac
Jun 13, 20251 min read
All quiet on the western front
Traditionally this is always a quiet time of year in the Irish fishing industry and this year is no different… … and yet if you scratch...
ifsacormac
May 27, 20253 min read
Thrown out!
Another SFPA cock-up as Judge throws out pelagic case - - probably the first of many acquittals of trumped up charges to come Isn’t it a...
ifsacormac
Apr 11, 20255 min read
Parasites
How the Irish fishing and processing industry has spawned a lucrative business for SFPA monitoring & control. But how far can things go...
ifsacormac
Apr 10, 20259 min read
REM
More EU fisheries regulations - - but more ‘one law for some and the blind eye’ for others? REM is a new electronic regulation for...
ifsacormac
Apr 3, 20257 min read
Death by a thousand cuts
Facts in numbers - - a true picture of the alarming current state of the Irish fishing industry under EU ‘management’ 60,000 - the volume...
ifsacormac
Mar 10, 20252 min read
A fool and his money are soon parted
Although the saying ‘a fool and his money are soon parted’ first occurs in 1587 in the writings of John Bridges, an earlier version...
ifsacormac
Mar 6, 20256 min read
Waiting and watching
Irish fishing industry is watching with interest as charges officially brought against Dutch-owned, German-registered vessel . The...
ifsacormac
Feb 21, 20253 min read
Time to break the cycle
Isn’t it strange that no matter who’s opinion you ask in the Irish fishing industry, the answer will invariably be one of sadness at...
ifsacormac
Feb 13, 20258 min read
Fisheries allocations for 2025 - Ireland once again supposed to be grateful for crumbs of comfort
It was into the wee hours of Wednesday December 11th that the final touches were put to EU fishing quota allocations for Ireland’s share...
ifsacormac
Dec 11, 20243 min read
Ireland’s fishing & farming communities - yet again no Government challenge against EU Commission
The corridors of power of Irish Government seem eerily quiet on this Monday morning on a day when farmers from all over Europe, including...
ifsacormac
Dec 9, 20242 min read
Election promises - but who’s actually listening to the industry?
As we enter the final run-in of general election week everyone in the Irish fishing and seafood sectors will by now have been bombarded...
ifsacormac
Nov 25, 20243 min read
Cards on the table
With the election manifestos of the three main parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin now in the public domain, the people of...
ifsacormac
Nov 19, 20243 min read
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