NIFA Challenges Criticism Over Castletownbere Meeting

The National Inshore Fishermen's Association (NIFA) has rejected criticism of its absence from a recent meeting with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon in Castletownbere, saying its chairman was never formally invited by the Minister or his Department. NIFA issued the clarification following public criticism of its decision not to attend the meeting, which brought fishing industry representatives together with the Minister in West Cork. According to NIFA, Chairman Michael Desmond was contacted by telephone on 26 August and asked to attend a gathering in Castletownbere. He was told that one representative from each organisation would be invited. Desmond was contacted again on the Friday before the meeting to establish whether he could attend, but NIFA said he was unable to do so because of a personal matter. The association said no formal or direct invitation was subsequently received from Heydon or his Department. NIFA said it did not receive an invitation by email, telephone, text message or letter. Association Questions Meeting Representation NIFA also questioned the practical circumstances surrounding its absence, saying that replacing Desmond at short notice was not straightforward. The association's vice-chairman is based in Donegal, and travelling to Castletownbere and back would have involved a considerable journey at personal expense. NIFA said its directors face many of the same pressures as the fishermen they represent, including unsettled weather and limited opportunities to get to sea and earn an income. The association also raised questions about the eventual composition of the meeting. NIFA said it understood that attendance extended considerably beyond the one representative from each national organisation that had been outlined to Desmond. The association said this had raised concerns among its members about the balance of representation at a meeting that, according to NIFA, had been presented to its chairman in different terms.