Dooley to Raise Mackerel Concerns at Brussels AgriFish Council

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Minister for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, TD says he will use Brussels AgriFish Council to press EU action on Mackerel and support measures for Irish fishing sector

Dooley Presses EU On Third Country Mackerel Fishing

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley TD, is attending today’s AgriFish Council meeting in Brussels, using the forum to push for EU intervention on mackerel management in the North East Atlantic.

Commenting ahead of the meeting, Dooley said, “Today I am raising the need for urgent EU action regarding Third Countries fishing at unsustainable levels for Mackerel in the North East Atlantic.” He added that he was “calling for an urgent concerted response from the EU to send a strong message to the Coastal States negotiators who are meeting today in London.”

Dooley is also pressing the European Commission to move beyond statements of concern and towards concrete financial intervention, saying, “I will also be calling on the Commission to make sectoral support available through emergency market measures for impacted fishers.” While the demand for emergency measures reflects mounting pressure within the fishing industry, there remains scepticism over how quickly, or whether, such support can be mobilised under existing EU frameworks.

He also referenced institutional continuity at EU level, noting, “I echo Minister Heydon’s well wishes for the Cyprus Presidency as we commence a very important work programme for 2026.”

Heydon Focuses On Broader Agriculture Agenda

Also attending the AgriFish Council is Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD. His focus is broader, reflecting the dual agriculture and fisheries remit of the Council.

“Today’s meeting provides an opportunity to discuss a range of issues at the heart of the current EU agriculture agenda,” Heydon said. No specific fisheries commitments were outlined in his remarks, underlining the ongoing challenge of maintaining political focus on fisheries issues within a Council increasingly dominated by wider agricultural priorities.

Source: Press Release