MacManus vows to stand up for fishing industry

Sinn Féin MEP for Midlands Northwest, Chris MacManus, has said that Sinn Féin will continue to stand up for Irish fishermen in the European Parliament, in the Dáil and in every local council.

MEP MacManus was speaking at the fisheries hustings in Killybegs, Co Donegal, organised by the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) and the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation.

MEP MacManus said:

“The Irish fishing industry and Ireland’s coastal communities have been badly let down by successive Irish governments and by the European Union.

“The Irish fishing industry needs Sinn Féin and our elected representatives to stand up for them and challenge every decision-making body that we can – in Brussels and in the Dáil.

“We will be your voice, your eyes and your ears in Europe and in Ireland. We will fight for fair quotas for Irish fishermen instead of scraps. We will seek to rebuild the Irish fishing industry with a new vision, to reform the Common Fisheries Policies and to oppose overregulation."

MEP MacManus said he has a proven track record in the European Parliament of campaigning for Ireland's fishermen and coastal communities. 

“I hosted a delegation of leading fishermen and processors from around Ireland to the European Parliament in 2022 when they brought their case directly to the EU Commission. More recently, I have stood with young Muireann Kavanagh, the teenage campaigner from Arranmore, as she exposed the injustice of the Common Fisheries Policy and the failings of our own government.

“I will continue this work if re-elected. Sinn Féin will seek to take permanent membership on the Fisheries Committee.

“Sinn Féin has committed to a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine in any future Sinn Féin-led government that will reorganise the Department of Marine and headquarter it back to Dublin to be managed and accountable to that Minister.

“We need a reset in Brussels, in the Irish Government and in the Government Department that will stand up for, defend, show pride and rebuild a successful Irish fishing industry,” concluded MacManus, who is one of 27 candidates seeking five seats in Midlands Northwest on June 7 next.