Vol. 398 No. 8
5 Mrs. Taylor-Quinn asked the Minister for the Marine if he will introduce an export subsidy on the sale of herring to South Africa in view of the current difficulties being faced by Irish Fish Exporters to mainland Europe.
Under the EC common organisation of the market regulations, provision is made for the possibility of granting export refunds for the sale of fishery products to third countries. Such refunds may be considered in situations where the Community price is above the world market price. If agreed at EC management committee level, the refunds will be paid, on application, to the exporter concerned to help him compete on the world market. No member states can unilaterally introduce such a refund system.
While the provision for the granting of export refunds still exists, no refund schemes have been in operation since November 1983. My Department, my predecessors and I have constantly pressed the EC Commission for the introduction of an export refund for herring but this has met with opposition from the Commission itself and some member states. The latest request was made at a Council working group on 27 April 1990.
Does the Minister think he will have a positive response to his latest request? The Irish exporters are facing difficulty in relation to the sale of herring to Germany because of the closeness of the Danish suppliers and they find it easier than we in Ireland. What response does the Minister expect to his latest request to date?
We are hammering away on it. I am fully aware of the situation in Germany. I had a long discussion with the Minister for Fisheries from Germany, Mr. Von Gelderen, yesterday and continuing late last night and we discussed the problems. The point about the Germans is that, while their federal fleet has been reduced considerably and consequently there has to be a considerable amount of importation even from outside the EC, the fleet in East Germany, or the German Federal Republic that was, is very large, almost double the western fleet and this will create problems. However, from my conversations yesterday with the Minister, I am convinced of the bona fides of the Federal Government and as a result of the meeting. I am quite euphoric about the situation. As the Deputy knows, this type of export refund was in operation for mackerel but as soon as the mackerel price in the Community approached the world price that was dropped. As I said in my reply, it has not been in operation since 1983.
