Minister McConalogue welcomes Report of Seafood Sector Task Force

“Navigating Change – The way forward for our Seafood Sector in the wake of the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement”

The Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, today announced that he has received the final report of the Seafood Sector Task Force that he established in March 2021. The Taskforce examined the impacts on the fishing sector and coastal communities of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom. This final report follows an interim report submitted by the Task Force in June 2021.

The Task Force was chaired by Aidan Cotter, assisted by a steering group of Margaret Daly and Mícheal Ó Cinnéide, and comprised of ten representatives of the fishing sector, representatives of the aquaculture and seafood processing sectors, coastal communities, coastal local authorities and various State enterprise development agencies.

Following receipt of the report, Minister McConalogue said:

“The departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement that was agreed at the end of 2020 have had some profoundly damaging effects for Ireland’s fishing sector and the coastal communities that depend on fishing. Such a once in a generation event required a collective response involving the seafood businesses and coastal communities that are impacted and the full range of State bodies with a role to play in our response. This is why I established the Seafood Sector Task Force in March of this year and after seven months of deliberations by the Task Force, I have today received and welcome its Final Report which charts a way forward for the sector and the coastal communities dependent upon it ”.

Minister McConalogue added:

“I wish to thank Aidan Cotter for his leadership in chairing the Task Force and thank Margaret Daly and Mícheal Ó Cinnéide for their dedication and hard work in assisting Aidan in steering the work of the Task Force. I also wish to sincerely thank all of the members of the Task Force for their constructive engagement with the work of the Task Force and for the many hours and days they put into the process. Lastly, I thank BIM for their hard work as secretariat and I wish to acknowledge the importance of their research and analysis in informing the work of the Task Force”.

Minister McConalogue continued:

“I have asked my Department to urgently examine the report with a view to quickly implementing a comprehensive response to the impacts of the TCA on our fishing sector and coastal communities. The recommended measures will be examined with particular regard to available funds and to the eligibility of the recommended measures for funding under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, the European, Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and with other relevant funding sources and with regard to State Aid rules and the Public Spending Code”.

The establishment of the Seafood Sector Taskforce is an Action in the Department’s Action Plan 2021 under the Strategic Goal to ‘Deliver a sustainable, competitive and innovative seafood sector, driven by a skilled workforce, delivering value added products in line with consumer demand’.

The full report of the Seafood Sector Task Force is available here: https://bim.ie/news-and-events/news/seafoodsectortaskforce/

Note for Editors

Minister McConalogue established the Task Force in March 2021. The Terms of Reference are below:

Terms of Reference

The Task Force will examine the implications arising from the EU/UK TCA for the Irish Fishing

industry and coastal communities particularly dependent upon it. It will, in particular, outline

initiatives that could be taken to provide supports for development and restructuring so as to

ensure a profitable and sustainable fishing fleet and to identify opportunities for jobs and

economic activity in coastal communities dependent on fishing. The Task Force will consider

how all available funding streams could be used to address, to the extent possible, the

initiatives identified and the State agencies to support those initiatives. The Task Force will

also consider and recommend constructive actions that would help to alleviate the inequitable

relative contribution of quota share by Ireland in the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation

Agreement.

The examination and initiatives identified will relate to:

• the Irish fishing fleet

• the Irish seafood processing industry

• other marine support industries

• coastal communities particularly dependent on the seafood industry.

Work Programme

The Task Force will be charged with producing an interim report within two months of

establishment. This will focus on arrangements for a temporary voluntary fleet tie up scheme,

to counter the impact of the reduction in quotas which will begin to occur from April. The

Task Force will also be charged with producing a full report within four months. This will cover

the arrangements for a voluntary decommissioning scheme or other initiatives to address the

implications of the Trade & Co-operation Agreement and outline other developmental

strategies to strengthen and enhance coastal communities especially dependent on the

seafood industry. It will also review the options and recommend actions that may be pursued

which would assist in reducing the burden on Ireland from the transfers of quota shares to

the UK.

In producing the reports, the Task Force will take account of the possibilities created by all

available funding streams.

Chairperson & Steering Group

The Task Force will consist of a Chairperson, Steering Group and wider Committee of

Members. The Chairperson and two other Members will make up the Steering Group. The

Steering Group as part of the Taskforce, will be responsible for preparing and signing off on

the interim and final report of the Taskforce.

Task Force Steering Committee

Chairperson

Aidan Cotter

Steering Group

Margaret Daly

Michéal O’Cinneide

Task Force Main Committee Membership

One representative each from:

Killybegs Fishermens Organisation,

Irish Fish Producers Organisation,

Irish South & West Fishermans Organisation,

Irish South & East Fishermans Organisation,

Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Organisation,

National Inshore Fisheries Forum,

Fisheries Local Action Groups,

Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation

IFA Aquaculture

Foyle Fishermen’s Cooperative

Castletownbere Fishermens Cooperative

Clogherhead Fishermen’s Cooperative

Galway & Aran Fishermen’s Cooperative

Irish Local Development Network

Údarás na Gaealtachta

Two Representatives from:

Local Authority Manager’s Association