Only Donald Trump could rescue NI fishing industry, says DUP councillor

Council agreed this week to lobby DAERA Minister Andrew Muir to work in parallel with his UK counterparts on easing access to visas for foreign workers on local fishing boats.

The district is home to the biggest fishing fleet in NI, having two ports at Kilkeel and Ardglass.

Downpatrick SDLP rep, Gareth Sharvin said: “The fishing industry in south Down is part of the lifeblood of the local economy.

"It faces challenges both in sustaining and growing.

“One of the impacts that have been felt most acutely is the ability of fishermen to pick crews by the seasonal worker visa route.

“In the absence of a visa mechanism that was a good fit for the employment of non EU workers the industry had little option but to utilise the transit visas. “The process for this is complicated, expensive and does not work for those in the sector.

“They have said to us quite clearly that without better visas the fishing industry’s future is at stake.”

The council is seeking a major funding plan to be made good for infrastructure development at its harbours upon the next financial year.

In 2022, the FSDP (Fisheries and Seafood Development Programme) procured by DAERA, published a report setting out a clear vision for developing Northern Ireland’s harbour infrastructure with around £100million to be invested in key infrastructure at Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie.

The proposals, pending agreed funding, included £73million to create a new harbour at Kilkeel, which would also see it become an Irish Sea Marine Hub.

Cllr Sharvin added: “The Minister needs to be clear on the way forward for the FSDP, is it scrapped or is it going to be providing the funding to allow Ardglass and Kilkeel to move forward.

“The Minister needs to enhance his working with his UK counterpart for ease of access and affordability of the skilled worker visa before it is too late.”

The current visa system does not recognise foreign fishermen as seasonal workers, but rather skilled workers as fishing boats go out to the sea over nine months of the year or more.

The crucial element being that fishermen may not work for the full period due to weather conditions, which means ship owners cannot afford to pay the wages.

Furthermore, the minimum wage for skilled workers went up to a threshold of £38k a year.

Mournes DUP rep, Glyn Hanna said: “We are happy to support his motion, although in saying this it is my belief, that it will have little influence.

“The British government have sat on their hands for many, many years. Margaret Ritchie and her party MPs (SDLP) have been on this for some considerable amount of time.

“I don’t think Minister Muir will make one iota of difference on this, to be honest. “They are not going to listen to him any more than the rest of us.

“We have lobbied on many, many occasions. Honestly at this moment in time I don’t know, I think we’d have to bring Donald Trump in to sort this out.”

Cllr Hanna was backed by Mournes DUP rep, Henry Reilly: “I would rather have JD Vance (USA vice-president) come over, a good Scots Irish man”.