Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for their presentations, which are very useful. Some of the my questions will reflect some of Deputy McConalogue's questions regarding the UK's agenda for what it hopes to achieve for its fisheries sector from the Article 50 negotiations. It was mooted last year that the UK would opt for a Norway-type arrangement and negotiate along those lines where there would be reciprocal arrangements. Do the witnesses consider that is still what the UK intends to do in terms of its fisheries? I note from the photograph Mr. O'Donoghue showed of the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, that was he holding a foreign salmon. I do not know if that signifies anything about what the future for English fisheries may be post-Brexit. What arrangement would the fisheries organisations in England and particularly in Scotland like to see emerge from the Brexit negotiations? Would it be a Norway-type arrangement or a harder arrangement?

I would like Mr. O'Donoghue to tease out further what he said about not separating access from the trade in the negotiations. If these negotiations fall, it will be on the trade issue. It might be possible to have interim access arrangements negotiated separately. The UK might try to use access as a bargaining chip in the overall trade negotiations. I do not know if tying the two elements intimately together is the best tactic. I would like to Mr. O'Donoghue to expand on that.

How often has the departmental advisory group on Brexit met? What sense do the witnesses have of the Government giving priority to making a case for our fisheries sector in Europe? What is the potential for our fisheries sector of the potential replacement of UK fish imports? Bord Bia has outlined to us that the larger portion of that would be with respect to foreign salmon. Therefore, the potential for displacement of fish produce in Ireland is not that large in terms of profitability.

Mr. O'Donoghue showed a PIE chart of UK exports to the rest of Europe. We might have more potential to target some of that business, particularly crustaceans, bivalves and the pelagic fish exports to Europe. What work are the witnesses' organisations doing to gear up for that to try to corner that end of the market? If we are excluded from UK waters, it comes down to whether we will have the capacity to facilitate any additional business in terms of raw materials for processors. Also, with respect to the Norway deal which provides for relative stability of supply, in terms of negotiations over north-western waters, would that provision also apply?