Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
913. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an impact study has been carried out to examine the financial implications for Ireland’s fishers of the EU decision to remove tariffs on the imports of US lobster; the supports that can be put in place to mitigate these measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24190/20]
View answerOn 21 August, the EU Commission and the United States announced agreement on a package of tariff reductions on a range of products, including US live and frozen lobster products. The EU Commission prepares impact assessments of such agreements and proposed regulations. The EU Commission figures indicate that last year the EU27 imported €42 million of lobster products from the US (15% of overall extra-EU imports), out of a market worth €290 million in total and in which EU producers are supplying less than 5% of EU consumption. It is important to be aware that the agreement is not solely focused on lobster and encompasses proposed tariff reductions on a range of EU products going to the US, including prepared seafood but also non-food products.
I am aware of the uncertainty that this agreement has created for the Irish fishing industry. If EU imports of US lobster increase significantly, it could combine to further impact on prices and demand; however, the US also exports to other international markets. Irish seafood, particularly products like lobster, rely on healthy export markets and the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality, retail and café sectors across the EU and elsewhere has undoubtedly made 2020 a difficult trading year
For this reason, Ireland's representatives put the concerns of the Irish fishing industry on record at the recent Trade Policy Committee meeting in Brussels when the EU Commission presented the agreement. In the meantime, Bord Bia has advised that the European lobster, the species caught in Ireland, has greater recognition which helps in maintaining a higher market position and that prices received reflect this in the EU market place.
