Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher said the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and Department must be held accountable after a 10-year case against Killybegs-based Sean Ward Fish Exporters collapsed due to lack of any evidence.

Deputy Gallagher, Deputy Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, said the acquittal is “further evidence of a regulatory and administrative system that has lost all public confidence and is damaging Ireland’s fishing reputation at home and abroad.”

The company was cleared of all charges at Letterkenny Circuit Court after Judge John Aylmer directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict due to a total lack of evidence from the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).

“This case represents ten years of unnecessary legal stress for a compliant company providing vital employment in Donegal,” Deputy Gallagher said.

He added “That the SFPA could not produce a scintilla of credible evidence is deeply troubling, it is proof that this agency is out of control. I will be directly challenging the SFPA when it appears before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries, to demand accountability and oversight.”

Deputy Gallagher said the Sean Ward Fish Exporters acquittal was “not an isolated incident,” but part of a growing pattern of overregulation and overreach that has undermined Ireland’s fishing industry.

Ireland is no longer a destination for vessels to land into due to the draconian regime in some of our ports and harbours, he said.

Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher

“We’ve seen multiple cases collapse under judicial direction. This is no longer about enforcement — it is harassment. The SFPA must be answerable to the people, to the Oireachtas, and to the industry it regulates.”

The collapse of this case has much further and deeper ramifications, as the case which collapsed without evidence was centrally referenced in the flawed Audit of 2018 undertaken into the SFPA by the EU, an audit which is often used to undermine the status of the Irish Fishing industry by both the Department and SFPA since 2018, he added.

“The State will have to intervene here and separately from the Department and SFPA, conduct a full investigation into the mismanagement and misinformation contained in the Audit and subsequent Administrative Inquiry.

“My fear is, this goes much deeper and wider than cases collapsing for the lack of evidence, and we need to restore confidence here by conducting a full and thorough investigation into all these matters over the past 12 years.”

Deputy Gallagher also criticised the reintroduction of pier-side weighing, recalling the reforms he introduced during his time as Marine Minister— reforms that applied specifically to the pelagic sector.

Ireland’s blue whiting processing capacity in particular is greatly restricted by the current regime, he claimed.

“When I was Minister, I invited then–EU Commissioner Joe Borg to Killybegs to witness firsthand the futility of weighing pelagic fish on the pier. He saw that it damaged the quality of the fish and created unnecessary hardship for processors and crews.”

“Following that visit, we successfully introduced in-factory weighing for pelagic fish, which was accurate, fair, and respected across Europe. Its reversal has achieved nothing but confusion, delay, and needless confrontation — as proven by the outcome of the Ward Fish case.”

Deputy Gallagher also renewed his call — made recently on the floor of the Dáil Éireann — for a comprehensive reform of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and its management of fisheries policy.

“I said it clearly in the Dáil, and I’ll repeat it now — the Department is out of its depth. There is a failure of leadership, a lack of understanding of the industry, and no coherent plan to defend Ireland’s interests at EU level. Unless the Department is restructured and refocused, we will continue to lurch from one crisis to another.”

In advance of the upcoming EU Council meeting in December, Deputy Gallagher has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to take a direct and proactive role in supporting Ireland’s fishing and processing sectors.

By way of Parliamentary Question, Deputy Gallagher asked the Minister “If he would consider directly contacting all EU member state Ambassadors, including all non-coastal states, to convey to them the crisis within the Irish Fishing and Processing sectors; if he would further outline the damage that third-country coastal states are doing by fishing above their agreed shares; if he would underline as part of this process the importance that the EU Commission honour the Hague Preference Agreement, which has been an integral part of the Common Fisheries Policy since its inception; and if he would make a statement on the matter.”

Deputy Gallagher said this diplomatic engagement is urgently needed to ensure that Ireland’s case is heard at the highest political level in Europe.

“Ireland must go beyond the maritime states and make our case directly to all EU members ahead of the Council meeting. Every vote matters, and every country must understand the social and economic devastation these policies are causing in our coastal communities.”

Gallagher said the latest Nephrops quota reductions for 2026 — including a 35% cut in the Western Irish Sea (FU 15) — come at a critical time for the Irish fishing industry.

“Quota cuts, regulatory chaos, and a lack of departmental leadership are combining to create the greatest crisis in our fishing history.”

“The time has come for decisive action. The Government must reform the Department, overhaul the SFPA, and restore fair treatment and respect for Ireland’s fishing communities. If we fail to act now, we risk losing not just an industry, but a way of life that has sustained our coastal regions for generations.”

Deputy Gallagher confirmed that he will be pressing the Minister for Fisheries directly on these issues, demanding urgent action to address the failures exposed by the Ward Fish case and to protect the livelihoods of Ireland’s coastal communities.

“I will be holding the Minister to account — these matters cannot be kicked down the road any longer. The future of Ireland’s fishing sector depends on leadership, accountability, and immediate reform.”

Investigation demanded after collapse of SFPA case against Killybegs company was last modified: November 7th, 2025 by Staff Writer