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Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2012

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Questions (115)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

115. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if as part of the renegotiation of the common fisheries policy he has raised the issue of the allocation of the fishing catch allocated to Ireland, approximately 4% in view if the fact that Ireland owns 18% of the fish resource of the EU; the response from the EU; if he intends pursuing this national interest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48264/12]

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Written answers

The main potential benefit of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) system for Irish fishermen is that it provides a system which aspires to the structured and sustainable management of international fishing activity in each of the key areas of interest to Irish fishermen. In addition, it provides stable arrangements for access to the large EU seafood market for the large volume of Irish seafood products which the Irish fishing industry exports to EU markets. There has been traditional dissatisfaction in Ireland with the share of the relevant total allowable catches which Ireland secured at the outset of the CFP.

The share Ireland received of the quotas available at the outset was determined on a system of relative stability, based on historical fishing patterns in the confines of set management areas. That system has continued since and was not changed in the CFP Reform’s of 1992 or 2002. There is no support in the Council for a change in the traditional quota allocations in the current Reform and the EU Commission has not proposed any changes.

However, under CFP arrangements agreed in 1976 a system of so called “Hague Preferences” was put in place, under which Ireland gets an enhanced share of certain key quotas on which we were traditionally dependant, if the share falls below certain set levels. The CFP Reform proposals envisage retaining this system in the way that it has operated previously and the retention of this arrangement is a key priority for me.

Securing enhanced fish quotas for Ireland and enhanced fish landings into Ireland however remains as an objective, but must I believe be delivered within the structures in place. For example, over the last two years Ireland has secured, by working within the system, a very significant two thirds share of the new and very large Boarfish Fishery. This fishery which will permit Ireland to catch 56,666 tonnes this year holds the potential to build a large new processing industry in Ireland, developing human consumption seafood products for exports. On my trade mission to China earlier this year I promoted the products from this new fishery to the large Chinese seafood market and Irish processors have already sent over 12 tonnes of boarfish as a commercial trial to a seafood processor in Qingdao. Similarly, on foot of initiatives taken by the Irish pelagic processing industry, this year we saw very large levels of landings of blue whiting into Killybegs for processing from Norwegian vessels. This gave a substantial boost for the Irish Seafood Processing industry generating increased employment in the North West.

The other way of increasing Irish fish catches and landings into Ireland is by growing the stocks on which we are dependant and which are proximate to Ireland. By growing stocks we increase our permitted volumes of landings even within a fixed sharing arrangement. The Quota increases secured in this way in the Celtic Sea this year are clear evidence of the gains that can be secured through this approach. There is much in the CFP Reform, such as long term management of stocks, reducing and eliminating discards and rebuilding stocks to Maximum Sustainable Yield, which holds the potential to substantially increase catches by Irish fishermen in the short and medium term.

One aspect of the CFP Reform Proposals, which I vehemently opposed from the outset, was the proposed system of mandatory transferable fishing concessions, which would have privatised the National Fish Quotas and posed real dangers to Ireland's fishing and processing industries and would have threatened the economic survival of our coastal communities. As part of the intensively negotiated General Approach which was agreed at June Fisheries Council we saw the removal of the mandatory element of this proposal where by each member state will be allowed to manage their fish quotas to take account of their own individual circumstances. We are awaiting the EU Parliament’s position on the reform, including in relation to its approach to dealing with quota allocations and individual transferable concessions.

I will prioritise securing final agreement between the EU Fisheries Council and the EU Parliament on the CFP during the Irish Presidency during the first half of 2013.

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