âThis is the death knell to the fishing industry,â he said, estimating the impact could cost 5,000 to 6,000 jobs in Ireland.
âThe shape of a deal, as currently stands will spell the ruination of the Irish seafood sector which directly supports more than 16,000 jobs and is worth more than â¬1.2 billion annually to the Irish economy,â he said.
âOur industry is literally and metaphorically on the brink and in spite of repeated promises made, we are in the throes of being sold down the river,â he said.
âThe one thing we wanted to avoid was a âno-dealâ situation in the interests of all our fishermen but the deal which is now being proposed is every bit as bad. We are looking at vicious and unprecedented cuts on our pelagic, shellfish and whitefish stocks,â he said.