asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the measures, if any, the Government intend to take to promote the development of a fish processing industry in this country.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Fish Processing Industry.
16.
There has already been significant development of the fish processing industry in this country, particularly in the past five years, during which period 152 projects with a total fixed asset investment of £36.4 million were approved for State aid amounting to £10.3 million. It is the policy of the Government to encourage and promote the continued development of the industry in every way possible.
Will the Minister agree that in 1984 we exported 90,000 tonnes of chilled or frozen fish worth approximately £39 million? Is the Minister aware that had this 90,000 tonnes of fish been processed to the consumer stage, it would have added approximately £2,000 per tonne to the value which would have amounted to £150 million or £160 million, in addition to all the jobs that would have been created?
A large quantity of unprocessed fish was exported but the market trends demanded this. There is no sense in processing fish if we have not the market for them. I am more interested in getting the markets right first and then processing can follow. We are concentrating on getting the markets right at the moment.
Surely the Minister is aware that we imported £40 million of processed fish and that there is a market here for processed fish although other nations can market their frozen fish here and in Britain. Why can we not market processed fish?
It is incorrect that we imported £40 million worth of processed fish. The figure is £23 million worth. That is made up of fish fingers and that type of product ——
What is wrong with fish fingers?
——which are not produced here.
Why not? That is the point.
I cannot talk for the private sectore but numerous firms have attempted to make fish fingers and failed. I cannot answer for the private sector.
It is the Minister's job.
Is the Minister aware that at a recent ANUGA food fair in Germany there were 14 halls of food on exhibition and one large hall showed huge quantities of processed fish and all the fish had been caught in Irish waters and exported? What action do the Minister's Department propose to take to correct this situation? We are exporting all of our raw materials instead of having the added value that would accrue were it processed at home.
I accept that the marketing of fish was somewhat neglected over the last number of years. I have attempted to rectify that situation but it cannot be done overnight. In respect of processed fish, there is no point in processing the fish unless we have the markets available. In respect of the query by Deputy O'Keeffe about raw material being bought in Ireland and processed in other countries, that is happening but there is little we can do about it. It is better to have it bought here and processed in other countries than have it dumped in the sea. The amount of herrings dumped in 1981-82 was somewhere in the region of 9,000 or 10,000 tonnes.
Is the Minister aware that tourist interests are very worried about the wholesale clearing out of pike, particularly by French tourists, for processing in Europe? Would he accept that a deputation I met from Belturbet, County Cavan, last Sunday night, expressed genuine fears in this regard and that this is a matter which needs remedying?
Restrictions will be brought in in respect of pike——
When?
My understanding is that is will be very shortly. The regulations are being examined in order to impose restrictions on the catching of pike.
The Minister gave some figures for the number of projects which had been approved. The Minister will be aware that, even though some of those projects have been approved, a very high percentage of them have not been undertaken. Has he any plans to ensure that projects which have been approved for processing are undertaken? Would he use his initiative to ensure that they are undertaken?
Improving the overall market situation will improve——
I am talking about projects which have been approved but have not been undertaken.
I am not aware of that; I do not know. According to my information here, 152 projects with a total fixed asset investment of £34.4 million were approved for State aid amounting to £10.3 million.
How many have actually been carried out to date?
I will get the information and supply it to the Deputy.
Has the Minister a policy for promoting and encouraging the processing of fish or is he leaving it to other Ministers, the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism or whoever, to do the job for him? What policy has the Minister for encouraging the IDA, private interests or whoever to become involved in the fish processing industry?
We have a policy which is being followed through. Part of that policy has been the establishment of a fish advisory marketing committee which I chair myself. That committee is comprised of officials from the Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism, officials of my Department and of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and all the fishing interests. That committee have been in existence two and a half years and have been quite successful in securing markets for processed fish. I should say that the main focus is on processed fish. We have just landed a very good contract on the Canadian market with a Dublin firm. Once that firm had signed the contract for the fish they could take on 20 extra people the following day. The contract is for six different species of fish, all processed fish. We are at present examining the American market, which is very lucrative, and we are hopeful to make a breakthrough there in the next two or three months. The Canadian, American and German markets are the main ones involved in the buying of fish. This is the first time the entire industry has been represented around the same table. Therefore we are getting our information from the industry itself.