575. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department will adopt an associations (details supplied) proposal to ensure the survival of the Irish inshore fishing sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47067/26]

I have met with the National Inshore Fishermen's Association and other representatives of the inshore sector and I am very aware of the challenges facing the inshore fisheries sector.

Ireland’s €258 million 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) is the primary source of funding for the Irish commercial seafood sector including the inshore sector.

My Department has reviewed all funding mechanisms available, either through the Seafood Development Programme itself or through other State Aid routes to ascertain if there was a possibility to introduce a financial stabilisation scheme for inshore fishermen.

The measures which are eligible for aid are set out in the regulation governing the implementation of the EMFAF regulation, which is aligned with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy.

My Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine is the Managing Authority for the EMFAF programme in Ireland, with a range of projects and industry supports to the inshore sector, provided by agencies of the Department under the programme. These include:

• Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries Scheme

• Inshore Fisheries Conservation Scheme – V-notching

• Seafood Training Scheme

• Seafood Capacity Building Scheme

The schemes and supports outlined above will continue over the lifetime of the Seafood Development Programme 2021-2027. They are all administered by BIM on behalf of the Department, and further details are available on www.bim.ie . Inshore fishers can also access further grant aid under the Fleet Safety Scheme which is also administered by BIM.

In addition to the above, a scheme specifically for the inshore fleet was implemented in 2024 and 2025 under the Seafood Development Programme, the Inshore Fleet Economic Assessment Scheme. This scheme gathered detailed economic and operational data on Ireland’s inshore fishing fleet, with a total of €3.669 million paid to the 868 inshore fishermen who took part in the scheme.

In summary, the government has put enhanced funding supports in place for the inshore sector from 2024 onwards, with over €6.25 million in aid granted to inshore fishers in a 2 year period.

In light of the challenges arising from the impact of quota reductions for 2026, Minister Heydon and I established a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030. The group is considering the challenges facing all three components of the Irish seafood sector – catch fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing, and the inshore sector is well represented on the Group.

Mr. Michael Berkery has been appointed to act as an independent Chairperson for this group and has been tasked with drafting a Chairman’s Report including recommendations by the end of June. I look forward to considering this report in due course.

As regards the very real concerns in the inshore sector regarding fuel Costs Minister Heydon and I opened a fuel scheme on 21st May and the closing date was extended to 17th June to ensure all vessels had an opportunity to apply.

Details of the Fuel scheme included

• A specific €15 million tailored fuel support scheme for owners of registered vessels in the fisheries and aquaculture sector has been developed.

• The scheme opened on 21st May and is being administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) on behalf of the Department. Payments will commence in July, subject to EU State Aid approval.

• The total payment for each applicant will be calculated once all claims have been submitted. However, it is anticipated that approximately 40 cents per litre of the estimated usage over a 5-month period will be the basis of the payment. For owners of vessels less than 6m LOA a flat rate payment of a minimum of €350 will be made.