Following ever-increasing demand from those in the fishing and seafood coastal communities nationwide a new organisation, the Irish Fishing & Seafood Alliance (I.F.S.A.) has been established.
Already endorsed by some of the country’s largest and most prominent industry groups, IFSA has been formed to, among several other agendas, seek recognition by Government and the Department of Marine that the seafood industry in Ireland requires their urgent intervention to redress the devastating outcome that BREXIT has beset upon the industry.
With the motto of “your voice in our industry”, IFSA is a self-funding, non-profit organisation which is not restrained by any existing regional political divisions, nor is it divided by differing industry sector interests and will be the spokesman for all individuals, vessels, fish companies of all sizes, fish shops, and all ancillary service companies involved in the industry nationwide. This provides a unique platform from which to give ALL interested parties a voice in demanding that our government affords our industry the support we deserve to navigate our way safely through the storm that BREXIT has forced upon our coastal communities. We will provide the opportunity for those who have invested and those who work in this industry to voice their frustration and demand action. Taking the wheel
Those involved in the formation of IFSA unanimously voted for the appointment of well-known industry supporter Cormac Burke to be the Organisation’s Chairman.
An ex-fisherman and later editor of The Irish Skipper, Fishing News, and Fishing News International, Mr Burke is also known as MD of the international fishing industry consultancy and PR firm FishComm Ltd.
In his first public statement as IFSA Chairman, Cormac said that he was honoured to have been chosen for this appointment and is looking forward to the many challenges that lie ahead.
“Coming from a fishing industry background and having spent most of my life involved in the fishing and seafood industry, in one form or another, I’m pleased to now be given this opportunity to serve the industry.
“This sector is made up of decent, hardworking people, many of whom have made heavy private investment in vessels, processing companies and ancillary services. But the biggest majority are simply reliant on this industry for their livelihoods.
“The spiral of decline in our traditional fishing ports will be greatly accelerated if our Government is not prepared to support the decent people that are proud to be part of our industry. The resilience and perseverance of these people has, in the past, helped our country to achieve what it has, against the odds. However, this latest challenge is catastrophic.
. “We cannot and will not accept to be relegated to the ‘poor relation’ of Irish commercial life. We cannot countenance a situation whereby vessels tie up, companies close down and once-thriving coastal towns and villages will face economic collapse.
“Many people in the seafood and fishing sectors believe that the only hope for progress is to unite the industry - a tough task given the challenges of existing regional representation and political restraints on many of the current representative groups - but hopefully IFSA can now be that unrestricted voice that the industry so badly needs,” he said.
Full contact details, website, social media etc will be made available in the coming weeks.