Skippers said to have been ‘taken aback’ after being escorted ashore to Clogherhead
He added: “These heavy handed tactics show Ireland are fair weather friends to NI.”
The Voisinage agreement, which collapsed months after the Brexit referendum, was a reciprocal understanding between the UK and Republic dating back to the mid-1960s that allowed vessels from Northern Ireland to fish in Irish inshore waters and vice versa. That decision effectively banned Northern Ireland boats from fishing in Irish inshore waters — a move that impacted fishermen north of the border who traded in species such as lobsters, crabs, mussels and whelks.
Fishermen in Northern Ireland have accused the Irish authorities of stalling, claiming the issue has become caught up in Brexit and is potentially being used as a bargaining chip for future negotiations on how Irish vessels would access UK waters once it leaves the EU.
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