583. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in light of the ongoing crisis in the fishing sector and its devastating impact on coastal and inland fishing communities, if he will update the Dáil on the progress of the new Fishing Task Force; if he will confirm whether the Task Force has met as scheduled; and if he will outline the current status of its work and the timeline for the recommendations that were due to be completed by June 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47553/26]

The reduction in Ireland’s fishing opportunities for 2026 will present ongoing challenges for fleet planning, processing throughput, and coastal communities that are highly dependent on specific fisheries.

Given the level of these challenges, a whole of Government approach is required for an effective response. Minister Heydon and I have committed to engaging with colleagues across Government to assess what framework of supports may be available to the seafood sector, to explore options within the constraints of both EU and national Exchequer funding and the relevant EU and national legislation, and in particular taking account of the constraints imposed by EU state aid rules for the fisheries sector.

To facilitate this cross-Governmental approach, together with Minister Heydon, I established a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030 - the Food Vision Seafood Sector Group.

Food Vision 2030 is my Department's strategy on positioning Ireland's agri-food sector as a world leader in sustainable food systems. Our seafood sector is fundamental to the delivery of that Strategy. The establishment of the Food Vision Seafood Sector Group reflects my personal commitment to our seafood sector.

The Group is considering the challenges facing all three components of the Irish seafood sector – catch fisheries, 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, Michael Berkery, has been tasked with drafting a Chairman's Report by the end of June. The Chairman has meet with sector representatives on a number of occasions and his work continues.

I look forward to considering the report’s recommendations in due course.