Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 February 2021
937. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if matters raised in correspondence by a co-operative (details supplied) in relation to its serious and significant concerns on prawn fishing in the north east will receive a response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5373/21]
View answerThe email referenced related to the impact of the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on fisheries and, in particular, on the nephrops stock in ICES Area 7. The co-op sets out the importance of this stock for its members. Ireland's new share of this stock is set at 34% in 2021 and 32% by 2025 down from the 2020 share of 37%. The estimate of the financial reduction by 2025 is €8.2m. I will be replying to the correspondence received shortly.
As the Deputy is aware, fisheries was one of the most difficult areas of the negotiations around the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement will, unfortunately, have a negative impact on our fishing industry. However, this impact would have been far greater had the Barnier Task Force agreed to UK demands or had we been in a no-deal scenario which would have seen all EU vessels barred from UK waters and their subsequent displacement into Ireland's fishing zone.
I have strongly expressed my disappointment to my EU counterparts, the Commission and Michel Barnier that the principle of burden sharing within the EU Member States has not been adequately respected. I made clear that the inequitable relative contribution of quota share by Ireland is contributing to a strong sense of grievance within our fishing industry and indeed more broadly. I pushed strongly that a mechanism must be found within the EU Commission and relevant Member States to find solutions.
I intend to continue to keep the focus on this situation and use any opportunity available to seek constructive solutions that would help to alleviate this unacceptable position.
I have listened carefully to the representatives of the industry and, indeed, I have met individual fishers who are facing a difficult situation. I have reflected on how to ensure that the funding made available to the sector in the Brexit Adjustment Reserve is focused to meet the challenges of the sector and of the coastal communities most impacted. As I announced last week, I intend to set up a Task Force involving seafood industry representatives and representatives of other stakeholders to provide recommendations on the appropriate measures that will best support the sector and the local coastal communities.
I will ask the Task Force to immediately focus on possible arrangements for a temporary fleet tie-up scheme to counter the impacts of the reduction in quotas which will impact from the beginning of April. When the task force has recommended on a tie up scheme and it is implemented, it would provide short term assistance to fishing vessels most impacted by the quota agreements.
The Task Force will, I hope, also provide recommendations on a range of other actions and measures that will allow the sector and the coastal communities to adjust and develop so as to counter both direct and downstream impacts on the wider seafood sector and coastal communities.
While the outcome on fisheries was a difficult compromise, I can assure you that the Government will work to ensure that the fisheries sector and the coastal communities that depend on it, are supported through the period ahead.
