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

If there are failures it is up to the SFPA to get through to the member state and get the information to which it is entitled. Obviously there are challenges when there are landings outside the European Union, such as in the Faroe Islands, Norway and so forth. Some of our boats land at the Faroe Islands and in Norway. This is a common issue. We must be careful that we do not point the finger at other member states and say that they are abusing all of the rules and so forth. This applies to everybody fishing in the pelagic sector. Most pelagic boats in the north-western waters are big boats catching very large volumes. What makes the freezer vessels different is that they process on board as well. They are physically huge boats and they are processing as they go. That poses certain challenges because they can stay out for much longer and when they land into port I am not sure how the catch is calculated from a weight point of view if it is processed at sea. I presume there are some challenges there.