Latest news with #TimmyDooley
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Seafood economy worth €1.24 billion in 2024
A Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) report has found the value of Ireland's seafood economy increased to €1.24 billion last year, an increase of four percent compared to 2023. The increase was largely driven by a nine percent increases in exports, a three percent increase in domestic sales and an 11 percent increase in landings to Irish ports. The top three countries for seafood exports last year were France, the UK and Italy. France was Ireland's largest market for seafood exports, valued at €141 million with Irish organic salmon, oysters and crab the top three species exported. BIM said investments in processing technologies, stronger exports, and record prices achieved for mackerel contributed to last year's growth. A 44 percent increase in the value of Irish organic salmon sales last year contributed to an overall value 25 percent increase for the aquaculture sector. However, certain sectors experienced a challenging year, particularly rope mussel producers in the south west and rock oyster producers. Retail seafood sales in Ireland increased by three percent to €333 million. Some 93 in every 100 Irish households bought fresh or frozen seafood last year, lower than the 2017 peak result of 97 per cent. 'A key economic driver' The Bord Iascaigh Mhara Business of Seafood report was launched by Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley, who acknowledged the volatility of the trading environment. Minister Dooley said investments made under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve and further planned investment are laying strong foundations for the sector. "The seafood industry provides employment for almost 17,000 people. It is a key economic driver in our coastal communities. "I understand the pressures industry are facing and the key role they play in food security and the provision of healthy and sustainable food," Minister Dooley said. BIM CEO Caroline Bocquel said the latest Business of Seafood report demonstrates the sector's resilience and capacity to adapt as markets continue to shift. She said targeted supports and investment in the €258.4 million Seafood Development Programme 2021-27 are driving innovation and strengthening the sector's position. The seafood processing sector generated €947 million in turnover and supported more than 3,200 jobs last year. BIM said while the processing sector's overall value decreased slightly last year - investment continued to drive energy efficiency, automation, and product innovation. The BIM report shows the fishing sector's is heavily dependent on two species - mackerel and Dublin Bay Prawns accounted for almost half of landings' value last year. BIM said quota cuts and rising costs continue to affect the fleet, however they said improved demersal quotas in the north west were among positive changes. EU-UK fishing deal fails Ireland - fish processors Meanwhile, fish producers say the EU's announcement yesterday that it plans to extend the current post-Brexit UK fishing deal to 2038 without changes is "a serious concern to coastal communities". The Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) is calling on the Government to meet the EU Commission to address quota issues. The IFPO said as part of the Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement five years ago - 40 percent of the total value of EU quotas transferred to the UK was from Ireland. CEO of the IFPO Aodh O'Donnell said: "there was no justification first time round for Ireland to be singled out to pay such a high price for the UK fishing agreement". "There is even less reason now, as we have loudly and clearly outlined how damaging this deal was for Ireland. It has already cost our industry an estimated €180 million to date. "The deal announced largely extends the unbalanced EU fishing quota and access arrangements for 12 years to June 2038." Mr O'Donnell said the IFPO supports the Fisheries and Maritime Minister Timmy Dooley, in his ongoing work. They are calling on MEPs and officials to demand "a fairer deal for Ireland before the new agreement is due to come into effect next year". He has welcomed the statement from Irish MEP Nina Carberry, who called for a level playing field for Irish fishermen from the EU-UK Summit. Ireland holds about 12% of EU waters and it is allocated less than 6% of fishing quotas, which fishing leaders say is inequitable. Mr O'Donnell said the maintenance of the Brexit deal is "a disaster" - especially for the Mackerel and Dublin Bay Prawn fleets. He said the mackerel fleet lost 26% of their quota and the Dublin Bay Prawn fleet lost 15% of its quota as part of the 2020 Brexit deal. "Europe failed to apply the principle of relative stability underpinning the Common Fisheries Policy with the Brexit deal which is now being extended. "We're call for a re-balancing of the Brexit burden. This requires an internal redistribution of the quotas, or this fundamental inequity will be locked in for 12 years," Mr O'Donnell said.
Agriland
16-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Many farms ‘would not survive financially' without CAP payments
A minister of state at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has told the Dáil that 'many Irish farms would not survive financially without Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, and we should not lose sight of that'. Minister Timmy Dooley told TDs that there 'has been much progress on CAP implementation in Ireland'. 'Of course, there will always be issues that will give rise to specific concerns for certain sectors but let us not rubbish what is an important aspect of farmers' incomes,' the minister added. However, during a Dáil debate yesterday (Thursday, May 16), government ministers were told of the 'deep concerns of Ireland's farming community regarding some of the proposed CAP reforms'. The Labour TD, Robert O'Donoghue, said the suggestion to merge Pillars I and 2 into a single fund 'has been met with significant apprehension across the farming sector'. 'Merging these two pillars risks diluting the targeted supports that each provides, potentially undermining the effectiveness of both income support and environmental measures,' he warned. Deputy O'Donoghue told the Dáil he also wanted to highlight the 'urgent need for a single, unified farmland mapping system to be used consistently across both CAP Pillars 1 and 2'. 'The current duplication of the systems is causing unnecessary delays, creating administrative burdens and leading to confusion for farmers and administrators alike. 'Farm families are the backbone of rural Ireland. They are not just economic units but living traditions passed on from one generation to the next,' the TD added. CAP The Independent Ireland party leader, Michael Collins, warned that that 'many farmers feel that CAP payments disproportionately benefit larger and wealthier farmers'. 'Smaller farmers struggle to compete and receive less support. This issue has arisen in my constituency. 'It was an issue for me when I was farming. It was a serious issue for a lot of people. There was an unfair balance and that needs to be rectified in any new CAP negotiations,' Deputy Collins added. According to the Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture, Martin Kenny, the CAP term should be extended to 'eight or ten years' to give farm families more certainty to plan for the future. Deputy Kenny said one of the key issues currently facing farming 'is the uncertainty of the future'. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday he also urged the government to address the 'consistent delays in payments, of which a prime example is the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)'. 'Farmers are waiting up to two years for ACRES payments. These delays are for the most part the department's fault, which of course blames IT issues. 'We hear the government talk about simplifying the CAP and reducing the bureaucracy and red tape for farmers. 'It must have forgot to tell department of agriculture this because the department continues to come up with more and more complicated schemes that even its own officials do not understand,' Deputy Kenny.
Irish Examiner
03-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
€23.86m pledged to support sustainable ocean management
€23.86m was pledged to support actions that promote a healthy, sustainable marine environment. The pledge came from minister of state Timmy Dooley on the final day of the 10th 'Our Ocean' conference in Busan, Korea. Speaking at his announcement, minister Dooley said: 'I am pleased to announce such a significant commitment pledge by Ireland. It reflects the Governments continued commitment to working collaboratively through many national and European projects, and initiatives, to ensure the sustainability of our oceans.' The pledge aims to support a diverse range of activities, such as programmes that will help to support marine research and biodiversity assessment, initiatives to address climate impacts in coastal areas, and support for projects advancing digital ocean technologies. Minister Dooley also pointed out the pledge was 'reiterating Ireland's commitment to delivering 30% protected area coverage of its maritime area by 2030.' CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB 'Ireland has a strong track record of advocating for sustainable ocean management. The commitments entered into today reiterate that position. I am confident they will support not just the responsible development of our oceans, but also support the continued development of Ireland's coastal communities who are dependent on a sustainably managed seafood sector,' concluded minister Dooley.
Reuters
10-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Ireland commits to more offshore wind auctions despite industry turmoil
COPENHAGEN, April 10 (Reuters) - Ireland will go ahead with at least three more offshore wind auctions by the end of this decade, its marine minister told Reuters on Thursday, adding that it was unlikely the country would meet its target of 80% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030. The commitment to offshore wind comes despite a vicious cycle of inflationary pressure, higher interest rates and bottlenecks in the supply chain which have caused auctions to fail and cancellations and postponements of projects around the globe. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. "There'll be probably three more auctions, maybe more (towards 2030)," Timmy Dooley, a junior minister at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said on the sidelines of a wind conference in Copenhagen. They would come in addition to Ireland's second offshore wind auction which is scheduled later this year, aiming to procure 900 MW of capacity. "We don't see any pathway back to fossil fuels ... We are absolutely committed to offshore wind as the energy source of the future," Dooley said. A government spokesperson said that they expected to get ten bids in the upcoming auction. While Ireland will move ahead with its target of reaching a combined 5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, 20 GW by 2040 and 37 GW by 2050, Dooley said it would be challenging to meet the target of 80% renewable electricity generation by 2030. "(But) it will be close ... We hope to be a long way there by 2030," Dooley said. Ireland's recently re-elected coalition government reaffirmed its pledge to achieving 80% of Ireland's electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 in its policy programme published in January. The government is working to remove obstacles to development, with marine area planning reforms and port infrastructure investments underway, Dooley said. The country generates around 40-45% of its electricity from renewable sources, primarily from over 5 GW of installed onshore wind capacity, grid operator EirGrid data showed. Ireland has just 25 MW of offshore capacity as of today.
