Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was.

On the Deputy's point on the total value of the impact of the quota transfer on Ireland, the initial analysis after the agreement was based on EU average prices. That was the assessment the EU had carried out based on EU average prices. The quota share and the total tonnage has been the same from the outset. That has been very clear. A tonne is a tonne. The various impacts on different species have not changed. We carried out our own assessment using Irish prices on the Irish market, extrapolating that in relation to other species as well. No matter which country does it, or what value one would use per tonne, different species would impact the assessment on it. The initial impact was based on EU average prices. That would have been the European Commission assessment. Every country applying its national prices to it would have a different figure. The tonnes remain the same but in our assessment, the best and clearest way for us to do it is to see how it impacts our national prices. If one were to do it based on the EU average prices, the figure discussed immediately after the agreement, €32 million, would have had a 13.4% impact on the overall value from an Irish point of view. When we apply our own prices to it, we would calculate that at €43 million, which would be 15%. Each member state would have different calculations depending on what value it puts on different fish or different species. We used our own.

I refer to my objective throughout the negotiations. As a representative of Donegal, the county most affected by fisheries, I was very much aware of the absolute importance of fisheries, no more than Deputy Collins who represents a county and a constituency which is similarly affected like many of our coastal counties. Our objective, working with the fishing industry, throughout the negotiating process was not to have any give in terms of fish. That was the line we held to and pushed at all times.

As everyone is aware, a no-deal Brexit would have been quite catastrophic from a fisheries perspective. The outcome to the deal is going to have an impact. While the impact will not be on the scale of a no-deal Brexit, it will nonetheless have a significant impact on our fleet compared to some of the other fleets one might look at. My objective and mission at EU level is to fight for fishing every way we can and, while working with our sector on how we can support it, to address what is undoubtedly an impact. There is an impact for all member states with regard to the Common Fisheries Policy. I am moving to set up a task force to ensure the sector and the communities most impacted by the Brexit outcome are central to how we actually support them to grow and to ensure the maximum value for our fisheries sector in the time ahead. This is a fundamental impact. We have all known over the past three to four years how fundamental Brexit could be and how damaging it could be. Thankfully that damage was limited but it could not be entirely avoided. Now we must work to address that to ensure the sector is invested in and prioritised in the time ahead to make the absolute most of the sector and the very valuable resources we have.