Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the previous Fisheries Council meeting, Ireland joined with a number of other countries to issue a common declaration. The other countries included Spain, Portugal, France and Poland. We have support in principle from the United Kingdom for action on this issue. The UK has mixed views with regard to trade sanctions but that is for other reasons. There is a common view within Council that some significant action needs to be taken. The EU needs to show its teeth. A natural resource which we have all worked hard to build up is being destroyed. The stock is very valuable and a lot of people depend on it for a living. Fishermen are making repayments for large loans which have been taken out on the back of the mackerel fishery. I have been saying since I became Minister that the situation is an international scandal.

I have been saying this since I entered office but achieving a political solution is not easy.

In some ways, even trade sanctions involve certain dangers. When small countries are aggressively pursued, their response can sometimes be aggressive. Going down the trade sanctions route would not necessarily solve the problems that exist and it would certainly ratchet up the tension. I accept that it may be necessary to do the latter in order to bring people to the table and agree a compromise. Everyone accepts that such a compromise or settlement will undoubtedly involve the European Union and Norway giving some of their quota to Iceland and the Faroe Islands. However, this can only happen within reason. It is, after all, our industry that is going to lose out. Ultimately, such a settlement will be required in order to save the stocks. If the stocks are not protected, there will be dramatic cuts for everyone involved rather than a negotiated compromise. That is the kind of situation we must all avoid. When I refer to dramatic cuts, I am talking about a reduction of 50% or 60% in our mackerel quota. That is the kind of scenario that would lead to communities, particularly those in the north west, being devastated.