Donegal TD blasts Taoiseach over fishing debacle at EU council
Sinn Féin TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, has taken a swipe at Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, claiming the fishing industry in Ireland had once again been left in the lurch by the government.
The , who is also a spokesperson on Fisheries and the Marine, is seeking clarification as to why the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon will chair the EU Fisheries Council instead of the Minister for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley.
In recent weeks, the Taoiseach has touted with the idea of reestablishing a dedicated Minister for the Marine at the Cabinet.
"We are surrounded by our seas and there’s something missing where we don’t have a stronger department of the marine, independent, but working with other departments," he said.
However, Mac Lochlainn described that as paying lip service to the fishing industry, following reports a major rift in the coalition government.
“Incredibly, today, it’s the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon who is representing Ireland at the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries, taking an exchange of views with the committee members on Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council, rather than out actual Minister for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley.
"For decades, our Irish fishing and seafood industry has been badly failed by Irish governments in Europe. The Common Fisheries Policy has been a vehicle to plunder huge wealth from the Irish people in the seas around us," said Mac Lochlainn.
Mac Lochlainn stressed that more than ever, Ireland needed a Presidency of the EU Council to challenge this.
"We have the wrong Minister at the negotiating table. The Taoiseach had fine words on the importance to Ireland of the Minister for the Marine but at the first test, he has failed to match those words with decisive action," said Mac Lochlainn.
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