The obsession with over regulation and intrusive inspections at the micro level such as with farmers and small businesses and the lack of regulations and inspection at the macro level as we saw with the banks and the dioxin affair before Christmas, is clearly unfair and illogical. This is one area that I would like to get my teeth into in the European Parliament. Some regulations are far too complicated and as one fisherman said to me recently - “The regulations are so complicated that you’d need to be a barrister to fish”. I am sure farmers, shopkeepers, teachers, gardai and many other often feel similarly in their own careers. If elected as an M E P, I would work towards simplifying this conundrum to bring some practicality and joined up thinking to the table.

Fishing is still a very important industry for Munster. Coastal communities from Dunmore East to Fenit, including Castletownbere, Union Hall, Kinsale, Dingle and many more, have a huge dependency on sea fishing – not to forget the inshore fishing industry in places like Bantry Bay and Cromane.

The Irish Fishing Industry has both immediate and long-term difficulties. The future is bleak if immediate, direct financial aid is not delivered. With an appropriate investment strategy, the potential for development is enormous. Ireland cannot afford to neglect the seafood sector. As an MEP I will prioritise aid for the marine sector.