The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) is the umbrella organization for the three main Fish Producing Organizations (FPOs) in Ireland. It consists of The Irish Fish Producers Organization Ltd (IFPO), The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation Ltd.(IS&WFPO), and The Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation Ltd (KFO). Currently, the FIF represents over 90% of the Irish fishing fleet.
Contents
The mission statement of the FIF is "to provide a unified voice for the Irish Fishing Industry and to provide an active input into all policy making decisions both nationally and internationally." The group participates in extensive lobbying on behalf of the livelihood of its members and their professions, as well as organizes demonstrations and other national events to benefit the national industry.
History
The FIF was founded in 2006 in response to the ever waning fishing industry in Ireland due to imports of cheaper fish from elsewhere on the European Continent. The establishment of the organization was a formalization of already tight coalitions between the smaller member organizations. It was initially chaired by the then CEO of The Irish Fish Producers Organization, Lorcán Ó Cinnéide.
Leadership
The FIF’s leadership structure is a Board of Chief Executives from the constituent organizations:
The position of Chairman of the Board changes each year, rotating between the CEOs of the three constituent fish producing organizations. As of 1 January 2014 the position is held by Seán O'Donoghue of the KFO.
Action
The FIF have been responsible for a number of demonstrations on behalf of the Irish Fishing Industry since its inception. Some of these actions include:
Treaty of Lisbon
The FIF claims to have played a vital role in the national veto of the Treaty of Lisbon, an EU document seeking to consolidate leadership and increase functionality of international trade within the EU. By Irish constitutional law, such a motion had to be voted on in a public referendum. The FIF took a strong stance against the treaty, claiming that its trade provisions for the fish market would be unhealthy for the already struggling Irish industry. A series of actions before and after the Lisbon vote on 12 June (to which the Irish delivered a very sound “no”) occurred, including fish dumps, harbor blocking, boat tie ups, and numerous other acts. However, when protocols were agreed with the other EU states, on issues such as neutrality, the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland was passed by the people with a 67% majority.