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

Let us be honest. The producer organisations are cautious about this because they know it will be difficult to implement. They will have to push their members, which I hope they do. The alternative is much worse. The idea that we would not try to implement this directive and that it would become an enforcement issue for the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority - that is not a route we want to take. This is agreed policy at European level and we all have an obligation to make it work for the fishing industry as best we can. That is what I am committed to doing, and it is why we have such a large grant aid package from the Exchequer and the European Commission, linked to the Common Fisheries Policy. It is up to us all to make it work.