We are in a very difficult situation for coastal communities around the whole Irish seaboard. The Fisheries Council has caused absolute devastation. That is all it can be described as. It is going to be catastrophic for the fishing industry over the next year and more. The betrayal of the fishing community has gone on for decades. That is the reality. It is what we hear when we talk to fishers around the coastline, particularly inshore fishers and the people who are struggling to make a living. They are fishing sustainably, as was said earlier, but they are the ones who will bear the brunt of much of this. It is estimated that 2,500 coastal jobs in the fishing industry are at risk. The immediate danger is there and clear. We are looking at approximately 57,000 tonnes less in the quota, which will mean that almost €100 million will be lost to the industry. The wider economic impact could reach up to €200 million in coastal communities around the entire seaboard, from Howth to Wexford, over to Castletownbere and up to Killybegs. This is a huge impact on rural communities that are struggling the most. That point cannot be lost. It is happening because large vessels are coming in from other counties around Europe. International corporations are driving this. They are sucking up the fish. They are doing it in the most unsustainable way imaginable. The science is telling us that we are now at a stage when much of the fishing stock is depleted to a dangerous degree. Nobody is arguing that point. The problem is that the other sector that is in a catastrophic situation is that of the Irish fisherman and fisherwoman. They are going to suffer as a consequence of the greed of major corporations. That is one of the big problems that many people in Ireland and across Europe have with the European Union. It seems that the rich and powerful can make all the decisions and ordinary people are left to carry the can. It is time these people were left to carry their own bloody can. The ordinary people cannot take it any longer. The fishing communities around the coast cannot take it any longer. They will simply be devastated. I acknowledge that efforts were made and that the Minister of State feels he was betrayed in all of this. We do not understand why the leaders of the Government, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, did not step up to the plate. The leaders of other countries in the European Union stood up but our leaders did not. They did not come in strongly to support rural fishing communities around Ireland. It is simply going to be devastating if this is allowed to stand. The Minister of State has the support of everyone in the House. We need Government to make a strong stand for fishing communities. Unfortunately that has not happened to date. It has to change. I expect that we will see a change in the new year in how Government approaches this industry and that we will have the industry's back. Government will step forward and make a strong stand for the communities that have been devastated by the greed of a small number of international corporations, which seem to be more powerful than Ireland when it comes to this. The concept of the European Union as a place where everyone would work together for the benefit of all seems to be set aside when it comes to these corporate interests. The way they are able to wield their power and the huge lobby they have in Brussels and other places is absolutely devastating for ordinary communities around the country. I also see it in the agriculture sector when it comes to Mercosur. It is the very same thing. The big corporates are driving it forward and to hell with everyone else. Governments have a responsibility to the people who elect them and who need reassurance that they can have a future too and that all cannot be stolen from their plate. I appeal to the Minister of State and the Government to step forward, make that strong stand and recognise the devastation this has for fishing communities and other communities in coastal areas. This is going to affect a serious number of jobs. Our processing industry cannot survive on three or four weeks' work a year. Those factories are simply going to close. This is an opportunity for Government to really show its grit and it must do that.

Sentiment score: -0.12