14 November 2008
Alan McCulla’s port visits on behalf of the NFFO are proving to be an effective way of ensuring that the Federation keeps in touch with its grass roots.
The series of port meetings is also ensuring that fishermen within and outside the NFFO are kept aware of the Federation’s efforts on their behalf. The NFFO Executive Committee member and Chief Executive of the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation, is on his second tour of the ports as part of the Federation’s outreach programme outreach programme.
With its limited staff resources, the NFFO decided some years ago to concentrate on an outward looking approach which has paid dividends in terms of influence at national and European levels. The Federation’s influence can be seen in dozens of policy areas, including the regional advisory councils, discards, cod recovery and CFP reform.
But such an approach has a price and the price has been the weakening of direct contact with the ports. It is to address that weakness that the NFFO initiated its communication strategy with Alan’s port visits at the centre.
Views expressed to Alan are fed in to the Federation and are fully taken into account when establishing NFFO policy positions and when making representations on the industry’s behalf. The port visits have been very successful and the intention is to find ways of maintaining regular presence in the ports.