New group to represent seafood sector
Deputy president Ruadhrí Deasy said the IFA has had members in the fish-farming sector since 1991, but is fully embracing the industry in all its modern diversity under the new organisational structure.
The IFA had given great service to the salmon farming sector and more recently to shellfish producers. It wants to build on that success by improving its representative structure.
This will bring the sector closer to the core of IFA’s activities and establish a strong representative voice for the hundreds of businesses in rural Ireland that are producing a wide variety of seafood products and providing vital full and part time employment.
“IFA Aquaculture is a signal to our members in the sector that we are committed to this developing industry and understands at every level of the organisation the challenges and opportunities ahead for fish farmers.
“We want to develop our existing member organisations, the Irish Salmon Growers’ Association and the Irish Shellfish Association to their full potential.
“I know that in the case of shellfish this means not only finding a wide representative base across the sub sectors of the industry but also looking further afield to developing membership on an all-island basis.”
IFA Aquaculture was launched in Galway by Minister of State John Browne, who later had a meeting with members of the new body on a range of issues.
These included investment in production and marketing for the salmon sector and defence of Ireland’s interests against cheap subsidised imports.
