European and United Kingdom representatives met in London on 19 May to finalize a wide-ranging bilateral agreement covering such topics as security and defense, trade, and access to lucrative fishing grounds.
Prior to this post-Brexit “reset” agreement, Irish Fish Producers Organization (IFPO) CEO Aodh O’Donnell said his members wanted “a rebalancing of the disproportionate quota transfers that took place in 2020, where we contributed 40 percent of the total value transferred from Europe to the U.K.”
However, the deal has largely maintained the status quo set in the original Brexit deal regarding fishing access, leading Irish fishing industry representatives to claim they’ve been betrayed by European reps.
“We have loudly and clearly outlined how damaging [Brexit] was for Ireland. It has already cost our industry an estimated EUR 180 million [USD 202.6 million] to date,” O’Donnell told SeafoodSource.
O’Donnell now wants Irish officials to demand a fairer deal for the nation’s fishers before the new agreement is due to come into effect next year...
