Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021
1176. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if boats registered in Northern Ireland are categorised as non-EU boats in relation to the requirement for non-EU boats to land fish at designated ports; if he will outline his reply in the context of the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland protocol in terms of citizenship rights of persons living on this island; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1566/21]
View answerUK, including Northern Ireland, registered fishing vessels are now considered Third Country vessels under EU law for the purposes of EU regulations to combat illegal fishing, known as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU), regulations and North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) requirements. As an EU Member State, Ireland must uphold its obligations under the IUU regulations and NEAFC, including in respect of Third Country vessels.
Under IUU regulations, third country vessels must land in ports specifically designated for IUU checks. In Ireland, there are currently two designated ports - these are Killybegs and Castletownbere. These ports have also been designated under NEAFC requirements. This means that Northern Ireland-registered fishing vessels must land their vessels at one of these ports. Under the terms of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, fish landed by Northern Ireland-registered vessels do not need to undergo SPS checks.
UK fishing vessels, including Northern Ireland vessels, have had a pattern of landings into many Irish ports prior to the UK leaving the EU. 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.
With regard to the Good Friday Agreement, which is explicitly recognised in the Protocol, the Deputy will be aware that the citizenship and identity provisions of this Agreement include an explicit right of the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves, and be accepted, as Irish or British, or both. However, these provisions do not affect how Northern Ireland-registered fishing vessels are treated under EU law.
The Government remains committed to ensuring that the citizenship and identity provisions of the Good Friday Agreement are upheld in all relevant areas, as they relate to the people of Northern Ireland.
