Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is probably limited in what he can say but I know him as a colleague in County Donegal for a long time. I think he knows that it is appalling that this report has been leaked and reported on at national level and the industry has had no chance to defend itself by seeing the actual evidence. The industry protests that it is the most regulated. The submission from the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association spoke to the committee last Tuesday. It states the industry is the most regulated in Europe, far from being this kind of Wild West of over-fishing. As I stated on Tuesday, I had the opportunity recently to observe for myself the weighing system at a fish factory in Killybegs, County Donegal. It is state-of-the-art technology. There are a number of seals around the weighing device to prevent it from being tampered with, there are CCTV cameras observing all the fish as they are weighed in real time and those monitors feed directly to the SFPA offices. That is a remarkable level of oversight. Then, at the back end of the factory, one can see packages with 20 kg of fish, with 60 on each trolley, weighing 1.2 tonnes. One can go into the freezer. Industry representatives say they are most regulated fish processors in Europe and it far from the Wild West. The processors allow free access into their factory. The National Standards Authority of Ireland can make unannounced inspections at any time to make sure the proper weighing device is being used. I was taken aback. I cannot think of any industry in this country that is subject to that level of oversight by the regulator, with CCTV cameras watching everything and officials able to come in at any time. The industry accepts that is what needs to be done to clear its name.

I understand the SFPA, the regulator, has not prosecuted any factory, and there are plenty of them throughout the State. No factory has been prosecuted in a court of law. There may have been one case, which is disputed, through the NSAI. That involves one factory at one moment across the entire State, yet we have allowed a situation where our reputation has been tarnished and our industry accused of being like the Wild West. Our factories are not on the pier and harbour as in other European countries and the fish have to be transported in a way that does not damage them, because no one wants to damage the value particularly when margins are getting tighter and tighter, along with the quotas. They have to be transported from the pier or harbour. Fish have to be weighed without water. There is state-of-the-art technology and complete oversight, but having witnessed this myself, I cannot get my head around how the SFPA officials did not beat their chests about how they are the best regulators in Europe and how the industry is subject to unbelievable oversight and there is nothing to worry about because we can make damn sure no overfishing is permitted. No Oireachtas Member would have any tolerance for illegality or overfishing when this precious resource must be maintained; what we want is more of it in Irish waters for our Irish fishers. We do not want overfishing and the destruction of species in our waters. However, we want a greater share for Irish fishers.

I will not ask any more questions as that was a very long synopsis. Does the Minister accept that the SFPA, an organisation whose structures and organisation was recently subject to a damning review, have serious questions to answer having allowed this profound failing? Whatever his comments today, I ask him to do something about it. Will he amend the legislation before us to put in place an independent board to oversee the SFPA? He could do that by tabling an amendment. It would make the authority get its act together and do its job, and not allow our industry to be tarnished when it should be held up an example for its practices.