573. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s plans to support the Irish inshore fishing sector; his plans for a sector strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47065/26]

The Government is committed to maintaining support for the inshore fishing sector as set out in the Programme for Government - Securing Ireland’s Future.

I regularly engage with representatives of the inshore fishing sector, including the National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF), the Regional Inshore Fisheries Forums (RIFFs), the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) and the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation (IIMRO) to discuss issues affecting the inshore sector. These discussions have been constructive, and they provide important insight into the challenges and concerns faced by inshore fishers.

There are various schemes and supports for the inshore sector available under Ireland’s Seafood Development Programme 2021-2027, which is co-funded by the Government and the EU Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). These include the Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries Scheme, Inshore Fisheries Conservation Scheme (V-notching), Seafood Training Scheme, Seafood Capacity Building Scheme, amongst other supports such as grant aid under the Fleet Safety Scheme. I actively encourage inshore fishers to engage with local BIM Regional Development Officers who can further support and advise on the range of supports and services available to the sector, including supports for inshore fishers to develop short-supply chains to better maximise the value of their landings.

In relation to a sector strategy, I have engaged Mr. Kieran Mulvey as a facilitator to work with seafood representative groups (including those for inshore fishers) in order to identify and articulate issues, priorities, and opportunities for the sector. The purpose of this engagement is to assist me in setting the Terms of Reference for a Fisheries Sector Strategy, as provided for in the Programme for Government. I expect Mr. Mulvey's report to be published shortly.

In addition, together with Minister Heydon, I have established a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030 - the Food Vision Seafood Sector Group. This Group will consider the challenges facing all three components of the Irish seafood sector – catch fisheries (including inshore fishing), aquaculture and seafood processing. The Group’s overarching objective is to identify and develop a framework of measures to respond to these current challenges. In doing so, I encourage the Group to identify solutions to improve competitiveness and efficiency, to develop existing market opportunities, to consider how the sector can contribute to our national environmental goals, and to consider where the sector can innovate. The Group's Chair, Mr. Michael Berkery, has been tasked with drafting a Chairman's Report by the end of June. I look forward to considering this report in due course.

The inshore fishing sector is a vital component of our coastal economies and communities. Along with the wider seafood sector, I remain committed to supporting inshore fishers and continuing my engagement with the NIFF and RIFFs, NIFA and IIMRO, and working with them to see how this can be best achieved.