Sinn Féin TD and general election candidate David Cullinane has said that Sinn Féin in Government will stand up for the Irish fishing industry and begin the work of undoing decades of neglect and disinterest from successive Governments.
He Made the comments in Cé Heilbhic, where he met with local fishermen and discussed Sinn Féin’s ground breaking ‘Charter’ for the fishing industry.
Cullinane said:
“The Irish fishing industry and the coastal communities that it sustains have been badly let down by successive Irish Governments and by the European Union. What could and should have been a vibrant and sustainable driver of growth in our national economy has been held back by bad policy and political neglect.
“There is no overnight solution to the catalogue of wrongs done to fishermen and fishing communities, however I believe the first step in setting things to right is for policymakers to show respect to those involved in the industry and to our coastal and island communities, by listening to what they have to say.
“Sinn Féin published a charter that sets out 24 key points of action. Its guiding principles are driven by the people who know the fishing industry best. No has more incentive to promote sustainable sea fisheries than those who work the sea along our coastline.
“The charter sets out our approach to reforming the Common Fisheries Policy, securing a greater share of quota for Irish boats, banning destructive industrial fishing, and adding value and resilience to fishing endeavour to create and sustain jobs in coastal communities. We need to see investment in infrastructure, not least here in Heilbhic, as well as a greater emphasis on processing, packaging and marketing of our seafood produce.”
Cllr. Conor D. McGuinness 