Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue is expecting a lively reception when he meets fishermen in Killybegs this evening.
A meeting planned for the Tara Hotel is expected to throw up a lot of hot topics.
Among them is the latest revelation that Icelandic crews may be given access to Irish waters.
Minister McConalogue is expected to be faced with angry protests at the move.
Local Killybegs-based TD Thomas Pringle, has slammed successive governments for their treatment of fishermen and fishing communities.
The deputy said he looks forward to questioning Minister Charlie McConalogue in the Dáil this afternoon during a Q&A on Sustainable Fisheries and Coastal Communities.
Deputy Pringle said that he has great concerns about the future of the fishing industry, some of which were highlighted in the recent Bord Bia Report, Future Focused: Export Performance and Prospects Report 2023-2024. The report showed that during 2023, export values in the pelagic sector fell by 31%, and volume dropped by 45%, when compared with 2022.
Deputy Pringle said: “This is having a serious impact in places like Killybegs.
“Fishing communities such as Killybegs have experienced devastating blows over the last decades and Donegal fishermen have been shafted time and time again by successive governments, and now by a Donegal minister.
“The government’s mistreatment of fishermen dates back to Ireland’s negotiations to join the EEC and has continued throughout the Brexit negotiations.
“I have raised this issue numerous times over the last decade. This Government does not act in the best interests of our fishermen and our fishing communities, and have been consistently weak during negotiations with the EU.
“And that mistreatment continues. Countries like Norway have permission to catch four times more blue whiting in Irish waters than Irish fishermen do – how is it fair that they have been allowed to overfish?
“How is it fair that the EU are in talks to also give Iceland, a non-EU country, access to our fishing waters while Irish fishing and industry jobs are at risk? These are the questions I will be putting to the Minister on Thursday,” he said.
