This article is from page 44 of the 2008-07-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 44 JPG
IRISH fishermen were last week praised for their restraint and pa- tience in not reacting to the contin- ued crisis in the industry by instigat- ing a repeated blockade of Irish ports AN ICOM ereDuOOLIbuCe
Speaking at the opening at a ma- jor conference on innovation and sustainability in the seafood sector, Clare TD and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Tony Killeen set a July 15 deadline for the European Commis- sion to deliver on a rescue plan for the industry.
Minister Killeen met with repre-
sentatives of the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) ahead of opening the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) – BIM/Fish Ireland 2008 Conference on Innovation and Sustainability in the Seafood Industry.
“TI believe that the current very dif- ficult situation the industry 1s fac- ing makes it even more critical to identify the key steps necessary to lift the industry out of its vulnerable position where it 1s dependent on in- flexible commodity prices and thus unable to pass on its full costs.
“Tt is of the utmost importance that we take steps and work together to maximise the value and in particular the prices fishermen get at the quay-
side,’ he said.
“The Cawley strategy sets out the road-map and today’s conference served to both review progress and identify opportunities in the market for both wild and farmed fish.”
The conference also focused on aquaculture development and Min- ister Killeen identified this sector as offering potential for significant growth. He said that he was commit- ted to addressing the current chal- lenges so that the full potential of aquaculture could be realised.
The Clare TD also set out the work he was doing with Commissioner Borg and his colleagues in the Coun- cil of Ministers to get agreement for
an EU funded package of emergency measures for fishermen.
“I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the patience and very reasonable attitude of fishermen since our meeting in Athlone on June 13. I fully recognise that fishermen are impatient at delays in finding so- LULaCeysm Cem snomeUluKoNmOeKoKy
‘IT wish to assure fishermen and the FIF that Minister Smith and I under- stand fully their situation and will continue to work with the utmost ur- gency to secure an EU funded pack- age of measures as early as possible.
“We will continue to press the commission to deliver at the fisher- ies council on 15 July.”