Irish Fish Producers Organisation welcome unified Irish position on EU quota talks

The Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) says its meeting with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has delivered a “powerful signal of national unity” ahead of next week’s decisive EU Fisheries Council.

Aodh O’Donnell, CEO of the IFPO, said the Taoiseach’s direct engagement with industry leaders shows the Government is “fully backing Ireland’s case at the most important fisheries negotiations in years.”

“On behalf of IFPO members, I welcome the Taoiseach’s leadership at a moment when Ireland faces unprecedented quota cuts for 2026,” O’Donnell said. “The message from Government is clear: Ireland will not shoulder disproportionate losses created by the unsustainable actions of others.”

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The meeting brought together all major parts of the sector -catching, inshore, islands, co-operatives and processors - alongside senior Government officials. O’Donnell said the scale and seriousness of the engagement underline the stakes ahead of the December Council on 11–12 December.

According to O’Donnell, the Taoiseach gave an unequivocal commitment that the Hague Preferences will be defended as a national priority. The 1976 “Hague Preferences” mechanism was created to compensate Ireland (and at that time the UK) for their heavy dependence on fishing — but it is not always fully applied. It only comes into play when Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are due to fall below certain quotas.

“With mackerel facing a 70 per cent cut and blue whiting down 41 per cent, the Hague Preferences are essential to prevent disproportionate harm to Ireland,” he said. “The Taoiseach was crystal clear: this long-standing mechanism must be honoured by the EU.”

Scientific advice published by ICES points to losses of €66 million in pelagic species, €12 million in whitefish and €21 million in Dublin Bay prawns in 2026 alone. O’Donnell warned that “over 57,000 tonnes of quota is in jeopardy and the wider economic hit could reach €200 million. That’s more than 2,300 jobs on the line in coastal communities.”

O’Donnell welcomed the Taoiseach’s decision to establish a working group to design a five-year financial framework for the fishing sector.

“This is exactly the kind of long-term thinking we need,” he said. “It shows the Government understands the scale of the challenge and is prepared to act decisively to support the fleet and safeguard coastal economies.”

The IFPO chief again highlighted the role of non-EU states—Norway, Iceland, Russia and the Faroe Islands—in destabilising pelagic stocks.

“These countries have ignored scientific advice for years and inflated their catches,” he said. “Their actions have fuelled the crisis and now Ireland faces the deepest cuts, even though our fleet has fished responsibly. That cannot stand.”

O’Donnell said Minister for Fisheries and Maritime, Timmy Dooley, has brought “an unprecedented level of energy and urgency” to the portfolio.

“I have not seen a minister so engaged or so committed to working with the catching and processing sectors,” he said. “Minister Dooley’s proactive work in Brussels, including extensive bilateral meetings with EU counterparts this week, is vital to building support for Ireland’s position.”

He also acknowledged the support of Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon and the wider Government. He said they have delivered “a united and determined national approach.”

O’Donnell said Ireland now enters the December Council on Thursday and Friday of next week “with a unified front and a strengthened mandate.”

“Yesterday’s meeting was the start of a process but it was the start we urgently needed,” he said. “With political unity at home and robust diplomacy in Brussels, Ireland has a real chance to secure a fairer outcome. We must protect our fishers, our processors and the coastal communities that depend on this industry.”