As I have previously stated, the purpose of the Discards Implementation Group (DIG), chaired by Dr Noel Cawley, is to implement the agreed rules surrounding the phasing in of the landing obligation. Its role is not to agree those rules in the first place; that is the responsibility of the Regional Group of Member States, the North Western Waters Group.
That Group has, only last week, unanimously agreed on a Discards Plan for demersal fisheries that will cover all of the waters around Ireland as well as the Channel that will come into effect from the 1st of January 2016. The development of the Plan was undertaken in close consultation with stakeholders, including Environmental NGOs, through the North West Waters Advisory Council.
The Environmental NGOs had a full opportunity to engage in this process of developing this new Regional Plan and in fact a representative of the Environmental NGOs was invited (by Ireland, as Chair of the Group) to, and attended all of the meetings of the Member States Group. Their views were fully taken into consideration throughout the intense negotiation process that finally culminated in an agreement last week.
It is the fishing industry which will now have to implement this new agreement. It is the individual vessel operators who will have to abide by the new rules as they are phased in and who must deal with the practical issues arising from the application of the landing obligation. Consequently, I must reiterate that I do not consider it necessary that environmental non-governmental organisations, which will not have any direct role in implementing the landing obligation, become part of the DIG. The Environmental Pillar have been and will continue to be regularly updated on the Group’s deliberations and this will remain the case.
I reject the assertion that my Department is in thrall to commercial interests at the expense of the public interest in protecting the environment. The work that I and my officials have done, and continue to do, to try and ensure long term sustainable fisheries firmly demonstrates that this is not the case.
My overarching objective since becoming Minister, and that of my Department, with regard to fisheries in Ireland, is to do all I can to ensure a sustainable, profitable and self reliant industry that protects and enhances the social and economic fabric of rural coastal communities dependent on the seafood sector. That objective is always balanced with the need to ensure that fish stocks will be protected for future generations and negative environmental impacts from fishing activities are reduced to the lowest possible level.
I work closely with all stakeholders and will continue to do so to achieve these objectives.
