Irish fishermen say they are being “sacrificed” for the post-Brexit trade deal

Irish fishermen say they are being “sacrificed” for the post-Brexit trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Known as the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, it came into force in 2021, and obliges European vessels to progressively transfer to the UK part of their quota shares for certain fish stocks in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.

For Ireland’s fishing industry, this means a 15% cut to its quotas by 2025, and a projected annual loss of €43 million, making Ireland one of the worst affected countries by this deal.

It’s a death blow,” says John Nolan, the manager of the fisherman’s co-op in the southwest village of Castletownbere.

He reckons that 25% to 30% of his staff will be made redundant as a result over the next two years.