Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 July 2021
455. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that have been taken to implement the recommendations of the seafood taskforce in its interim report published in June 2021. [38344/21]
View answerIn March 2021, I established a Seafood Sector Task Force to examine the negative impacts of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the UK on Ireland's fishing fleet and on related coastal communities and to recommend mitigation measures that could be taken to provide supports for development and restructuring in order to ensure a profitable and sustainable fishing fleet and to identify opportunities for jobs and economic activity in coastal communities dependent on fishing.
On 9th June, I received an Interim Report of the Task Force, with the Final report due later this year. The Interim Report recommends the implementation, on a voluntary basis, of a temporary fleet tie-up scheme for certain segments of the fishing fleet, to mitigate the loss of income in 2021 for these fleets arising from the TCA quota reductions. Eligible vessels would be able to cease fishing for one calendar month only over the period September to December 2021 and receive compensation based on average monthly income in the pre-Covid, pre-Brexit years 2018/19, minus variable costs they will not incur while tied-up (fuel and food). The Interim Report recommends that this scheme be funded under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. A State Aid approval from the European Commission is also required.
I welcome the recommendation of the Task Force on the proposed scheme and it is being considered as a matter of urgency.
