Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Apr 1993

Vol. 429 No. 3

Written Answers. - Employment in Fish Processing Industry.

Seán Barrett

Question:

46 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for the Marine the number of people employed onshore in the fish processing industry for every person working at sea; the way in which the figures in Ireland compare with other EC countries; and if he will make a statement as to the way in which he intends improving on this situation.

Minister for the Marine (Mr. Andrews)

The latest statistics indicate that 7,900 people are employed in the fishing industry at sea and 3,400 people work in the fish processing sector, i.e. a ratio of 1:0.43. This means that for every 100 jobs in the fishing fleet, there are 43 related jobs in processing.

Estimated comparable figures for other European countries are as follows:—

Country	Fishermen	Processing Employees	Ratio
France	18,000	6,000	1: 0.33
Spain	89,074	14,740	1: 0.17
United Kingdom	22,422	21,000	1: 0.94
Denmark	7,323	14,592	1: 2
Iceland	5,000	8,000	1: 1.6
Norway	25,000	15,000	1: 0.6
Germany	1,895	23,683	1:12.5

The Irish ratio compares favourably with some member states and is higher than the figure for either France, 100:33, or Spain, 100:17, which, despite having the largest number of fishermen in the EC, has the lowest level of related processing employment. It is important to realise that these ratios are based on national totals which are averged out over the entire year. In Ireland, certain areas of the country regularly display higher ratios, as for example in Killybegs, where during the winter mackerel season the ratio may be as high as 1:4.

There is, nevertheless, considerable scope for further development of the processing sector where at the moment less than 20 per cent of the fish is being processed to a secondary level. The current Community Support Framework covering the development of the Irish processing sector over the period 1991 to 1993 is expected to generate a total investment of £24 million and an additional 420 new jobs which will come on stream over the next few years. It is intended to maintain this momentum over the medium term with a view to increasing value added production, developing scale and specialisation and the marketing of shellfish and non-quota species.