Fishing Industry

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Questions (1175)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

1175. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if, in view of the changes brought about by Brexit, he plans designating extra ports for landing fish from boats registered outside the EU to facilitate boats owned by Irish fishermen, North and South, but registered in Northern Ireland land at ports other than Killybegs and Castletownbere, which are the only ports designated for this purpose at this point in time; if he has considered the risk of not having extra ports designated in the context of smaller boats having to steam numerous hours at sea to land at a designated port; the analysis that has been done on the possible carbon footprint saving on designating extra ports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1565/21]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As the Deputy will be aware, from 1 January 2021, the United Kingdom has become a Third Country and therefore subject to Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) legislation and North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) requirements. Castletownbere and Killybegs are currently the Irish ports designated for Third Country landings of fish for both IUU and NEAFC purposes which includes NI/ UK vessels. UK fishing vessels, including Northern Ireland vessels, have had a pattern of landings into many Irish ports prior to the UK leaving the EU.

Up until the conclusion of an agreement on the future relationship between the EU and the UK on Christmas Eve, it remained unclear whether NI vessels that had access to Irish waters would continue to have access rights given that, in a no-Deal scenario, access of UK vessels to EU waters and EU vessels to UK waters would not be possible.

There are significant practical and cost implications for the State in the designation of EU ports for Third Country landings because under EU Regulations such designations represent an entry point to the European Union following which food is free to circulate within the full EU common market. On this basis for any ports designated, Ireland is obliged to ensure that it has in place a meaningful control presence. I have requested the SFPA to review the costs and resource demands arising in the event of further designations.