OFFSHORE FISHERMEN and fish farmers have criticised the proposed abolition of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) by the McCarthy report.
The Government cannot “walk away from the development of the seafood industry or coastal areas” and the “massive socio-economic and political consequences”, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA Aquaculture) Aquaculture division has said.
The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) says that BIM is “central” to development of a sector employing 11,000 in coastal areas, and which recorded total seafood sales of €731 million last year.
IFA Aquaculture executive secretary Richie Flynn said the McCarthy report had “conveniently overlooked glaring inefficiencies and blockages to job creation and export development”.
Mr Flynn added: “The Government must immediately grasp the opportunity to develop indigenous seafood businesses and tap the real potential to create jobs and exports in the seafood sector.”
Industry representatives have pointed out that Taoiseach Brian Cowen established an interdepartmental committee this year to look at ways of creating employment in the seafood sector, which lost its dedicated department in 2002.
The FIF said it acknowledged that Government spending on the seafood sector cannot be immune to the crisis in the public finances.
However, the proposal to subsume the functions of BIM into the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food would not work, in its view.
