Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
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Sarah O'Reilly (AON), Agricultural Panel

I commend Mr. Flanagan, Sinn Féin and Mr. Mullooly on the work they did in helping to secure a referral of the EU-Mercosur agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union, CJEU. I also commend Mr. Mullooly on his appointment as a full voting member to the agriculture committee. With four Irish MEPs holding voting rights on that committee, we expect big things and a strong position for the next CAP reform. I ask them to prioritise generational renewal, protect family farms and ensure young farmers can afford to enter the sector.
The agriculture sector needs support, but I am equally concerned - I am on the Oireachtas fisheries committee, like Senator Boyle - about the fisheries sector. It is being systematically dismantled. We control roughly 12% of EU waters, yet receive 3% to 4% of the quota allocation. Irish fishermen watch bluefin tuna swim through our water while being restricted to a catch and release system with virtually no quota. The EU-Norway deal is another disgrace. Norway gains access to the blue whiting worth more than €21 million while Ireland is left with quotas that are not economically viable to fish.
The EU has also shown far too little leadership on Palestine. We hear statements condemning Israel's actions; yet commercially and politically, it continues business as usual. Why has the EU-Israel Association Agreement not been suspended, when the human rights clause has clearly been breached? The contrast between the EU response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its response to Israel's actions in Gaza is impossible to ignore. Economic interests are being prioritised over human life. The MEPs might have some insight into this.
I was deeply disappointed that MEPs support an amendment to recognise transgender women as women, while simultaneously rejecting or abstaining on the amendment that only biological women can get pregnant. Do they believe it is possible for men to get pregnant?
I am happy to hear Ms Walsh talk about gender equality.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27