Full coverage: Fisheries

Released records show the fisheries minister Timmy Dooley recently informed the chair of the agency’s board of his plans, with a new CEO expected to be in place in early 2026.

In the second part of our trade deal series, The Currency looks at how the 2020 EU-Vietnam agreement still leaves hurdles for Irish food exporters, while the country could serve as a beachhead for business in south-east Asia.

The Donegal fishing business Atlantic Dawn has survived the sudden death of its founder and increasing environmental scrutiny of large trawlers. Yet Karl McHugh, the second-generation leader of the group, warns that it is now under severe threat after Irish mackerel quotas were sacrificed in the trade deal between the EU and the UK.

The EU is generally seen to have had Ireland’s back until the very end of Brexit negotiations. As they stare into quota cuts and supply chain disruption, fishermen and seafood processors feel they are the exception.

The first stumbling block in Brexit negotiations starting today is fisheries, illustrating a deeper rift between the EU and the UK on how to approach an unprecedented large-scale, close-range free trade agreement.