The Seafood Ireland Alliance (SIA) has hosted representatives from the fishing and seafood industry and stakeholders from across the European institutions at an event in Brussels.
The evening marked Ireland’s EU Presidency and highlighted the challenges facing the Irish sector ahead of the December Council, where Member State Ministers will sign off fishing opportunities for 2027.
The event brought together a large number of guests, including Minister of State Timmy Dooley, TD, MEP Ciaran Mullooly, Fisheries Attaché Martin Crowley, and staff from the European Parliament, DG MARE and various Permanent Representation officials. Representatives from the SIA set out the industry’s key priorities for the quota negotiations over the months ahead, during an evening of Irish seafood and hospitality.
‘I want to thank the Seafood Ireland Alliance for their positive engagement to date. This sector faces real challenges, which is why a strong presence in Brussels matters for the Irish seafood sector,’ Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley TD said.
‘BIM is here to fully support the Seafood Ireland Alliance and the collective, forward-looking approach it has taken in setting out the critical importance of the Irish fishing and seafood processing sectors to an audience in Brussels,’ commented BIM CEO Richard Donnelly.
‘The timing of this event was deliberate. Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU until the end of December, culminating in agreement on fishing opportunities for 2027. Those decisions will determine the continued viability of fishermen in every fishing port in the country,’ a spokesperson for the Seafood Ireland Alliance said.
‘It comes after a difficult year. Quota cuts borne by Irish producers in 2026 are estimated to have cost the industry over €200 million. Long-standing imbalances in shared stocks remain unresolved, and processors face rising raw material and energy costs that are making business uneconomical. The impact reaches beyond the boats to processors, netmakers, shipyards and, most of all, the coastal communities built around this industry over generations. We would like to thank everyone who attended, and we look forward to engaging with stakeholders in Brussels over the coming months.’
The SIA comprises the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (IFPO), the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO), the Irish South & West Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO), the Irish South & East Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&EFPO) and the Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Association (IFPEA).
Image: Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley TD, pictured with members of the Seafood Ireland Alliance as the SIA marked its presence in Brussels with an evening celebrating Ireland’s EU Presidency. Pictured from left: Aodh O’Donnell, IFPO; Patrick Murphy, IS&WFPO; Timmy Dooley TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries; Dominic Kirwan, KFO; Brendan Byrne, IFPEA; and John Lynch, IS&EFPO.
