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JOINT COMMITTEE ON ENTERPRISE AND SMALL BUSINESS díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 27 Sep 2005

Faroe Islands Parliamentary Delegation: Presentation.

I welcome from the Committee on Fisheries and Industry of the Faroese Parliament Mr. Alfred Olsen, Vice-Chairman Mr. Tórbjørn Jacobsen, and Ms Heidi Petersen. I also welcome the members of the Faroese Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs who earlier met my constituency colleague, Deputy Woods. I am delighted they met him because he has vast experience of all aspects of fisheries, having been at one time Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources. I invite the delegation to make its presentation. If its members want to ask questions later, they may do so.

Mr. Johan Dahl

I thank the joint committee for taking the time to meet us today. The reason for our visit is to gather more information on how Ireland has been able to develop in the way it has, how it has been able to achieve growth in the way it has, and how it has been able to structure its industry in a way that has made it the successful country it is today, the number one growth area in the European Union.

The Faroe Islands are a country with a mainly one-string economy which comprises its fishing industry which accounts for approximately 90% to 92% of exports. Apart from this, we have tourism which has increased during the past ten or 12 years with a turnover of approximately 300 million Danish kroner per year. It is hoped that in the coming year it will be much greater. Unfortunately, we do not have a suitable infrastructure for increasing tourism as we would like. We do not yet have the hotels, camping areas and so on. We can learn much from Ireland about tourism. Ireland has many famous artists, and we can also learn much about dealing with culture, music and so on.

The fishing industry is linked to our natural resources. Our economy is, therefore, quite sensitive. If there is a recession in the industry, we will immediately have problems in society.

Our GDP in the Faroe Islands is approximately 99.5 billion Danish kroner, equivalent to €1.2 billion. As I said, this is mainly earned from fishing. Included in that amount are subsidies from the Danish Government of approximately 630 million kroner per year which goes into the security and health sector.

One of the main questions we would like to ask this committee relates to the impact of Ireland's entry into the European Union on the fishing industry. How has this impacted on the Irish fishing fleet, onshore and offshore?

Perhaps we could have a series of questions and deal with them together.

There was a question about the onshore and offshore fishing fleets. Perhaps we could have a few more questions.

Mr. Dahl

Ireland is a member of the European Union. How has this impacted on the fishing industry in Ireland, onshore and offshore? Has Ireland's membership of the Union resulted in a reduction of its fishing fleet?

We are governed by quotas, like all other European Union countries. There has been a heavy concentration of state aid during the years on developing the fishing fleet, in terms of concentration of business and offshore fishing fleets. Ireland has been successful during the years, particularly since joining the European Union, in securing additional aid to develop facilities for the processing of fish offshore. That has been a major development, particularly on the west coast. We have one of the largest fish processing vessels in the European Union off the coast of County Donegal which has been the subject of quota and financial assistance from the European Union. However, this has been to the detriment of angling facilities on rivers within the country. There has been much conflict between inland fishermen in the river system and offshore fishermen, particularly regarding Atlantic salmon stocks. By a mixture of concentration of aid and quotas to a significant smaller number of vessels, there has been a major development in the Irish fishing fleet in the past 20 years. Much of the activity takes place on the west coast.

I am not sure whether that answers Mr. Dahl's question. There has been more concentrated activity in terms of value added regarding what we can achieve in terms of export potential with the fish caught. Heretofore, there was a lack of processing facilities but we now have much more. This has generated much additional employment.

I welcome the delegation from the Faroe Islands to our committee today. The people of the Faroe Islands depend on the sea for their livelihood. This country is also surrounded by water. However, unlike agriculture, fishing is not a major part of our economy. I am sure the delegation has read a lot about the country. There is conflict as regards fishing. As Deputy Hogan said, there are drift-net fish and wild salmon in the mouths of our harbours and inland fish in the rivers. That creates some problems for us. We are looking at ways to resolve that, including a buy-out. While there are many rivers in my constituency and I like to eat fish, I am not an expert on the subject. Much work has been done on that area by another committee.

The EU has been generous to Ireland in terms of developing our fish industry. However, fish are becoming a scarce resource and quotas have been imposed. Our fishermen are up in arms because of the quota system and the changes which are taking place. Many of our ports are experiencing difficulties because of the quota system. However, this problem has been created through over-fishing of the waters around our coast. I will participate in any question and answer session about the economic implications.

Mr. Óli Breckmann

I thank the committee for inviting us here today. Will the committee tell us the dimensions of its river fisheries? How much money do they generate? What has happened to the marine fisheries since Ireland joined the European Union? To what extent have they developed or diminished since the country joined the EU?

Tourism accounts for approximately €7 billion of foreign earnings, which is substantial. Angling tourism, which is fishing in our rivers, contributes approximately 15% of that total. That is why many people are involved in the angling business. They are concerned about the lack of fishing stock, particularly salmon, in our rivers. As regards our offshore and maritime fisheries, there is a greater concentration on fish processing off our coast. The EU has given great assistance to the country to develop processing facilities for a range of fish. Deputy Tony Dempsey will be able to give the delegation more information in that regard. There are many fish processing plants which not only supply the Irish market but also export certain commodities to the European market. We have been given assistance by the EU to modernise those plants. We also have many additional offshore fish processing facilities. One of our major offshore fishing vessels is located off the north-west coast and it fishes in the Atlantic Ocean. That has contributed enormously to the potential export value of a wide variety of fish species. It is dictated by European quotas. The quota determines how much one can fish.

I agree with Deputy Hogan. Processing is an important part of the fishing industry in County Wexford, which is along the south-east coast. The EU has had an adverse effect on my county. An industrial development director recently carried out a survey on fishing and the recommendation was that up to 40% of the fishermen in Wexford should be offered a financial incentive to leave the industry. It is important that the delegation is made aware of that. That applies to scallop fishing. Approximately 85% of the national scallop catch is caught in Wexford. Many fishermen are moving out of the industry.

As Deputy Hogan said, inland fishing is closely related to tourism. Many of the salmon in the River Slaney, which runs through my county and Deputy Hogan's county, cannot get up the river because they are being caught off the coast by drift nets. That is another side to Irish fishing. It is a huge employer in County Wexford.

What educational facilities do the Faroe Islands have for training fishermen, particularly skippers? Do they engage in aquaculture or the artificial rearing of fish in inland lakes or caged areas in the sea?

We regard our inland rivers as tourist attractions, rather than as a means of making money. We have wild brown trout. As the country became more industrialised in the past 40 or 50 years, we experienced pollution problems in many of our rivers. There are big fishing developments in lakes such as Lough Mask and Lough Corrib in the west. There is also a famous lake in Cavan. However, intensive agriculture affected our wild brown trout. I am not aware of any monetary value from wild salmon or wild brown trout. The resource is tourism-based and is for recreational purposes. It is a big industry. Many British fishermen come every year to fish in the River Blackwater in my area. Carysville, which lies between the towns of Fermoy and Lismore, is the most famous area in the world for salmon. I am sure the delegation has heard of the Duke of Devonshire who owns that stretch of river. Many famous people have fished there for salmon. There is a good catch in that river, although this year has not been the best. I understand that one salmon caught in that river can be worth as much as €30,000 to the tourism industry. That is good for the country in terms of tourism development. That is a high quality fishing area.

We had a strong herring industry in the past but now it is practically non-existent in the Celtic Sea. Herring was processed in Dunmore East, which is not far from Deputy Tony Dempsey's area, and their meat was dumped at sea. The processed material was then sold on the Japanese market. That practice continued until four years ago when it was stopped either for market reasons or because of availability. I know a little about fishing, but I represent an inland constituency where there are not many fishermen's votes.

What are the Faroe Islands' main fishing developments and what fish are in their seas? The Faroe Islands are situated in northern Europe between Norway and Denmark. Is that correct?

Mr. Dahl

Iceland.

They are further north.

Mr. Dahl

Our main fishing is for white fish. We catch coley, cod, haddock, some flat fish and monkfish. Our main fishing source is skate, of which we catch approximately 50,000 tonnes per year out of a total volume of 110,000 tonnes. The remainder is split between cod, haddock and other species.

Do the Faroe Islands process that fish or market it without generating added value?

Mr. Dahl

Unfortunately, we export it. Of the 110,000 tonnes of fish caught last year we exported approximately 47,000 tonnes to Scotland and England, a disastrous situation for the Faroe Islands. The remainder of the catch was brought on shore. We are not permitted by law to produce fresh fish on board the vessels and so bring it on shore for use by the Community fisheries.

Are the Faroe Islands a member of the European Union?

Mr. Dahl

We are part of the Danish Kingdom but are not part of the EU.

Are the Faroe Islands governed by a quota restriction or can they fish willy-nilly?

Mr. Dahl

No. We use a completely different system from the EU. We operate a fishing day system which is split between different sizes of vessels. Each fishing group has a specific number of fishing days.

Is it seasonal?

Mr. Dahl

No, our fishing year operates from 1 September to 31 August each year, during which period each vessel has a specific number of fishing days. A vessel with a 12-day fishing licence can sell some of those days to another vessel within the same group. The system is self-controlling and helps to avoid overfishing.

Can other fishing vessels fish close to the land border or do the Faroe Islands operate a fisheries protection system?

Mr. Dahl

We operate a bilateral agreement with the EU and other countries.

How many square kilometres are in the specified zone?

Mr. Dahl

It is a 200-mile zone.

Ireland is trying to develop its mariculture and salmon farming industries and a great deal of research has been undertaken in that regard, particularly in terms of cod as farmed fish. What effect are farm fisheries in the Faroe Islands having on wild fish? Norway is probably the largest producer in the world of wild salmon in terms of tonnage. It is a bigger industry than Ireland's beef industry.

Mr. Dahl

We have encountered major problems in our salmon industry and lost most of it two years ago as a result of the ILA disease. The EU has agreed to allow us to vaccinate small fish and that will give us an opportunity to recapture the industry. We hope to export approximately 8,000 tonnes of salmon next year.

Is Mr. Dahl speaking of farmed salmon or wild salmon?

Mr. Dahl

I am referring to farmed salmon. At our peak, we exported approximately 45,000 tonnes.

What effect did that have on wild salmon?

Mr. Dahl

While drift-netting is used in Ireland for wild salmon, we have never used it in the Faroe Islands. As far back as the 1980s we used line vessels to catch wild salmon. However, we later made an agreement with the Icelandic Salmon Association and the Government to buy our quota. Those quotas are now used in the Icelandic leisure business by wealthy Americans who visit Iceland to catch fish in the rivers.

Are further fish farms being built?

Mr. Dahl

No, we have not been able to do so, though we would like to.

What is the population of the Faroe Islands?

Mr. Dahl

It is 48,000 people.

Are the Faroe Islands a democracy?

Mr. Dahl

Yes. We have six political parties and 32 members of Parliament.

Is fishing the basis of the Faroese economy?

Mr. Dahl

Yes.

I welcome the delegation to the joint committee. As they may have noted from the questions asked, Ireland's fisheries are not nearly as developed as those in the Faroe Islands.

I agree the Faroe Islands should be concerned about its over-dependence on the fisheries industry. Deputies Hogan and O'Keeffe spoke earlier about our being anxious to develop angling in Ireland. The angling euro, dollar, pound or kroner — whatever one calls it — is much more beneficial to the economy, the environment and the nation generally as it is better spread. It is better to concentrate on angling rather than sea fishing because of the likelihood of disease, the imposition of quotas or the disappearance of fish, as has happened with one or two species. We have found that inland angling has less impact on the environment in general. The debate on drift-netting and draft fishing is currently ongoing in Ireland, given that stocks of wild salmon in some of our rivers are virtually non-existent. That is a problem we will soon have to face up to.

The question was asked earlier how our economy reached the level at which it is today. We have been asked that question by delegations from Japan and elsewhere. There is no one answer to that question; it was a combination of things coming together. It was, first and foremost, well planned, though we did not expect it to be the success it was. We were desperately worried for some time about the increased growth in the economy and the rate at which it was growing. It is often difficult to control inflation, something which causes people to worry in terms of house prices, land and so on. Also, our infrastructure was not, and still is not, up to speed. We always expect others to have in place far better infrastructure than ours, though as the delegation pointed out, that is not always true.

A combination of factors affected the Irish economy. We first negotiated and agreed with the EU on a fixed rate of corporate tax at 12.5%. This was seen as a way of boosting the Irish economy which had been depressed for a number of years. Also in our favour was our national agreement, the four pillars of which are social partnership, the trade union movement, the Government and the farming industry. That agreement, which was based on controlling wage increases, preventing industrial relations problems or strikes, which had previously been happening at random, resulting in the closure of industry and public services, contributed enormously to our success.

Also pivotal to our success was the reaching of an agreement on the need for an increased number of places for science and business graduates in our third level sector through the institutes of technology. More than anything else, we reaped the benefits of our young population and an enormous number of graduates at a time when the information technology industry was about to explode. However, there are many downsides to our success. As I stated earlier, our infrastructure was not, and still is not, up to speed. Ireland is now one of the richest economies in Europe. I am told the only economy that is richer is——

Mr. Breckmann

Norway.

I am speaking about countries in the European Union. Norway, for particular reasons, has a self-sustaining economy. Finland has a good economy as well because of its oil and gas. We are told that Liechtenstein and Luxembourg are comparable economies but technically they are state banks. We are not in that league with our self-producing economy. It was a combination of factors that was responsible. We could not have done it if any of those factors had been missing. In many ways we are very reluctant to tell delegations that come here about these matters because we know those circumstances could come together for other economies within Europe. I believe it was that combination of factors that produced the success we have. We need to recognise that. We also need to ensure that we continue to do things properly.

There is a down side. Our health service is not great. Our environment has suffered. We have not spent money wisely in some cases, but that debate is for another day. Not many people would disagree that the success of our economy was due to a combination of factors.

Mr. Dahl

I thank the Deputy for her speech. It was very good. I have two questions. Regarding education, Ireland must have been acting strategically in the way it directed its youngsters. How has this been achieved? Are they going mainly into science and business? Ireland has the right people in the right place.

The second question relates to the marketing of the Celtic tiger. I assume a fair amount of money must have been spent worldwide on marketing.

What we marketed was the very low tax regime available to investors coming in here. That is always attractive to people who want to invest. In addition, we had a young population who were highly educated in specific areas.

However, there are peaks and valleys in an economy and to keep it going on an even keel it is necessary to keep readjusting to ensure that it is still meeting the demands of niche areas. The latest research shows that we now have a difficulty with engineering, that we are not producing enough engineers, that more and more people are choosing to study humanities and the arts. That is what happens when people become prosperous; they feel that they can explore that sort of area. That is now a difficulty for us.

There is another major difficulty that must be faced up to, although I personally do not see it as a difficulty. We now have more women in third level education than men. It used to be the other way around and that was wrong. It is wrong when there is an imbalance and we need to look at that issue. We need to readjust and produce more engineers. Otherwise there will be a huge deficit. The Faroe Islands need to start producing engineers as well because engineers are not just about road building. They are about technology, research and so on. It is, therefore, necessary constantly to readjust and to focus on education.

I thank Deputy Lynch. She was, as usual, very concise and to the point.

What other industries, apart from fishing, do the Faroe Islands have? Does it have income from any other source? Is the cost of living high? What is the cost of housing?

Mr. Dahl

Our minimum wage, as I mentioned to the foreign affairs committee, is approximately 120 Danish kroner per hour, which is equivalent to approximately €15. That says something about the competitiveness of our fishing industry and other businesses. We have mainly fishing. We also have some IT and consultancy business and some tourism but they do not bring in a large amount of money. Apart from that we are exploring for oil and hope we will find it next year. That could change our society drastically in many ways.

House prices are quite different from area to area. It is probably the same as here. I assume Dublin is quite expensive and the outer areas are cheap. Everybody in the Faroe Islands owns a house. We do not have rentals. In the vicinity of the capital the price of houses is from €150,000 to €250,000 or €300,000. In other areas the prices come down to €60,000 or €70,000. There is a big spend.

Mr. Breckmann

We have come here to learn. We have learnt a few things. I have been asking for a leaflet of sorts containing the key economic indicators so that we can find out what Ireland is all about. We have heard about taxes, infrastructure, education and the social contract or partnership. We have learnt much from what we have been told. However, it is very important for us to understand where Ireland is better than us and where we may be have left Ireland behind, where Ireland has not yet caught up with us.

We have been a Scandinavian welfare community for a number of years. We went bust in 1992. We recuperated very quickly after 1996 and 1997 and then we went over the hump again in 2003. We are on our way down again because of the volatility of the fishing industry, the nature of fishing as an economic basis. If anyone could help us with some key economic indicators, we would be able to learn much more. I am not thinking of huge books, whoppers that I can buy in the Government Publications Office or the bookstore, but something very easily surmisable and easily understood. How does Ireland, for instance, pull in revenue? How does it divide between one source of revenue and another? How does it distribute its revenue? Does it drown people in social security the way we do, busting the economy in the process, or does it more stingily distribute social service among truly needy people? That is one thing we would like to find out. This may be the wrong place to voice this query, but it would be very helpful if we could find out about these matters.

There were a couple of other questions which I have now forgotten in my eagerness.

On key indicators for the economy, our Central Bank has a very good——

Mr. Breckmann

Very quickly, before we leave the Emerald Isle——

When is the delegation returning to the Faroes?

Mr. Breckmann

Unfortunately, the day after tomorrow.

I take it our secretariat will be able to forward the information.

Mr. Breckmann

If we are to ask the right questions tomorrow, we need to know a bit more.

We will see what we can do tomorrow to facilitate the delegation.

Mr. Breckmann

The earlier the better.

The information can be obtained.

Mr. Breckmann

The difference between the Faroes and Ireland is so enormous that it is almost incomprehensible. We are 18 islands. The members here talk about salmon rivers. We have brooks, little streams which dry up within three or four days of rainfall. We have precipitation that is twice that of Ireland and that keeps tourists away. We have sunny days, or sunny hours, amounting to only half the number Ireland has, and that also keeps tourists away. Our tourism industry is, therefore, very small. We have a minute labour market which is not going to attract big international IT companies, given that we are such a small country. Fortunately we have not had too much of a brain drain — there may not be much brain there in the first place. Perhaps there is more brawn than brain. However, that leaves us in a quandary in that we need to find out what sort of international investments to attract. Who wants to come to us with the minimum wage from which we are suffering? Whether that is down to prices or competitiveness one may only guess. As matters now stand, I am sure we would be most likely to benefit from Ireland's experience by finding out about small business incentives.

Our minimum wage is €7.80.

I thought it was €9.

It is €7.80.

It is very high.

I am glad the Deputy said that. It is half that of the Faroe Islands. The argument heard around this table every day of the week is that it is too high. I do not believe economic roads have very much to do with the minimum wage. Clearly the minimum wage in the Faroe Islands is geared for an economy where it is quite expensive to live. One follows the other. There is no point in focusing on the minimum wage, as has happened around this table and every other table at which I have ever sat. It is not the cause of all woes. It is as simple as that.

The Faroe Islands clearly have a small economy. I do not know what the answer is for the Faroe Islands. I can only tell the delegation what Ireland did. It seems incredible that the Faroe Islands have a fishery industry of the size they have, which we do not have despite having a vastly larger population and a larger land mass, and that they export their catch without adding value to it. I do not care whom the Faroe Islands want to attract. Investors are attracted by profit and they will pay the minimum wage. I am no expert on fisheries or the Faroe Islands but it seems that if a country has a raw product that it is very good at catching, it should not export it raw for someone else to add value to it and make a profit.

There is a focus on the minimum wage here. The automatic response was that €7.80 is too high. That can be heard everywhere in an economy where two teachers — teachers are well paid in Ireland — who legally go about obtaining a mortgage for the average house would not get one. The focus of the Faroe Islands needs to shift slightly to what they can do as opposed to what they can cut back. The Faroe Islands are ahead of us and are the envy of Europe in terms of their social welfare system. In Ireland we have a low personal tax regime, but we have the highest tax regime within Europe because every time one lifts something in this country taxes are added to it. We have a health system that is falling apart at the seams, unlike that of the Faroe Islands. We cannot care for our elderly. What is happening is an absolute disgrace. The delegation should not go away from here thinking Ireland is the land of milk and honey and that somehow the Faroe Islands are doing things wrong. I do not believe they are.

Mr. Breckmann

We would like to find out how Ireland is doing it.

I thank Deputy Lynch for her valuable contribution. I am a great admirer of her but, that aside——

The Vice-Chairman is from a different party and would not agree at all with what I said.

Mr. Breckmann touched on the issue of inland fisheries. We have a huge problem regarding inland fisheries. Immigrants come here and net fish. They are even catching and barbecuing swans.

It has been a pleasure to have the delegation here. Interchanges such as these are very important. I am a fisherman. I fish with rod and line. I am very involved with fishermen in my constituency, where Howth is. It is not too far from here. I interact with them every day of week. They have certain problems. I bought herring last week, and they are now the size of what I used to call minnows. They are not the size of a pair of spectacles. I often speak with Deputy O'Keeffe about this and about the bacon industry, the meat industry and other issues. We are not running matters properly in terms of the fishing industry. Factory ships are coming within three miles of Howth and cleaning it out. People who were bred and reared in the industry cannot make a living. I can identify with what the members of the delegation are saying today. Meetings such as this are very good for the industry.

I do not know how much longer the delegation will be staying in Dublin but I would certainly like to meet them for a drink somewhere else. I hope they enjoy the Guinness and the hospitality and everything we have to give. If the members of the delegation care to invite us to the Faroe Islands some day, we will be glad to go.

I want to comment on what Deputy Lynch said. We are from opposite sides of the House. I lean towards the left but she is much more left than I am. Our traditional industries are under threat at present. Many jobs are moving to the Far East. Jobs in heavy industry are going to places such as India and China because of cheap labour rates. That is why our minimum wage is such a threat to employers, and we hear about it every day of the week. What is good about our economy is that ten years ago approximately 14% of our people were unemployed. Today only 4% are unemployed and we have approximately 2.1 million people in the workforce. If I go back further, at the time of the founding of the State we had the same number of people farming as are now in the workforce and the number in farming has been cut back to 130,000 people. Major changes have taken place in the structure of the country.

Our success is attributable to a number of factors. Some people may not like what I have to say but I will say it. One of those factors is our industrial development, securing jobs from abroad in the past 40 years, bringing American industry here. We have a huge element of American industry in Ireland, in pharmaceuticals, chemicals and electronics. Electronics is under pressure, as I said earlier. Speaking the English language was an advantage as was joining the European Union and our low interest rates were also an advantage. We are very proud of our interest rates which are the greatest driver of our economy today, at 2.5% wholesale rate plus a marginal rate of 1% to 1.5%. We did not have those interest rates in the past. The lowest we ever had was approximately 6%, and that was when we were outside the sterling area. It looks as if matters will remain the same for the next year, provided interest rates remain as they are or unless the German economy goes belly-up. The problems with regard to oil are having little effect on our economy.

Our population has grown enormously and we currently have a population of 4.1 million, not including Northern Ireland. We are glad of the initiatives taken in the North in the past few days, that the guns have been silenced and we can expect peace. We are proud of the co-operation in that regard. We are many years away from a population of 8 million people, but we expect some 50,000 people to come and work in our economy this year.

The regional technical colleges, built many years ago, have been very successful and are getting university status. American industry has shown significant interest in employing technically qualified students from the college in Athlone. I believe our success started from that type of initiative and that we laid the foundation approximately 35 years ago.

I must disagree with Deputy Lynch on some issues. Our spending on health is significant.

We have only ten minutes left.

Fine, the bar does not close until 11 p.m. We have spent approximately €13 billion on health. Our social welfare bill is also quite significant.

Mr. Breckmann

Some €13 billion?

Yes. Our problem with regard to health is that spending needs are advancing at a faster rate than we can keep up with. No country will ever have a health service that will satisfy its citizens because of advances in technology and medicine. Medicine has advanced significantly here. We are trying to keep pace with that advance, but still cannot satisfy requirements.

Deputy Lynch pointed out that one of our major problems concerned the provision of nursing home places for our elderly. With low unemployment, there are fewer people at home to take care of the elderly. We do not have enough bed spaces for them, but the Government hopes to address this problem, although it will be difficult.

I thank Deputy Ned O'Keeffe for his contribution. I welcome my good friend Deputy Nolan from Carlow, where there is a lovely golf course, Mount Wolseley. I am sure Deputy Nolan will give directions to anybody who wants to play golf.

Does Carlow have a source of oil?

I am trying to promote the area. Deputy Nolan attends this meeting regularly. He obviously has been somewhere else and I apologise for him. Anybody who wants to go down to Mount Wolseley to play golf can do so for free.

It has been a great pleasure to listen to the interaction between visitors and members. We were at home with each other. I invite Mr. Dahl to wrap up now. He always will be welcome here. I do not want to prompt him, but I hope we would be as welcome to visit his country.

Mr. Dahl

I thank the Chairman. It has been a pleasure to listen to everybody and to hear opinions on the matters we raised. I am sorry to hear swans are used for barbecues — that is a pity. It would be better to use salmon. We thank the committee for the hospitality it has shown us and members would be very welcome to come to the Faroe Islands to visit us.

The joint committee adjourned at 5:35 p.m. until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 5 October 2005.

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