The Seafood Ireland alliance has welcomed the announcement that the new EU Fisheries Commissioner, Costas Kadis, will visit Ireland in May 2025.
The agreement to visit coastal communities was secured, following a meeting between the Commissioner and Fianna Fáil MEPs.
The FF delegation was led by MEP Billy Kelleher and attended by MEPs Barry Cowen and Cynthia Ni Mhurchú.
Dominic Rihan, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO), described the Commissioner’s future visit as a “positive step”. Speaking on behalf of the Seafood Ireland alliance, he said: “Hopefully, this visit will encourage the EU to more actively address the crisis facing the Irish fishing industry.
“In particular, we support the delegation’s call for a fair quota allocation for Ireland, to address the impact of the massive post-Brexit cuts.”
Aodh O Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), says the meeting addressed other critical issues. “We welcome the demand for urgent action on persistent overfishing of our shared mackerel stocks by Norwegian boats. This irresponsible practice has serious consequences for the sustainability of this important stock.
“Seafood Ireland wants to thank the FF delegation for securing the Commissioner’s visit and look forward to working closely with them in advance.”
Seafood Ireland was formed in 2024 and is an alliance of five fishing and processing bodies. These are the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO), the Irish South & West Fish Producer’s Organisation (IS&WFPO), the Irish South & East Fish Producers Organisation (IS&EFPO) and the Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Association (IFPEA). The organisations are committed to working together to strengthen the voice of the Irish fishing industry.