Dr. Susan Steele:

The Senator mentioned tensions and issues. He was in Castletownbere, Union Hall and Kinsale. I am grateful for the solution-seeking view that he is bringing to us. We are open to having any meeting or dialogue. There is the consultative committee, which was set up under the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act. It comprises the industry and consults with the SFPA. We have met the industry on these issues, but as part of the review, we are resetting that relationship as well. We are open to the Senator's suggestion in his first question because promoting compliance is a key part of the role of any regulator.

If it is okay, I will deal with the Senator's third question next before dealing with food quality issues. Regarding the proposed changes to the control plan, we placed the plan on the website for a consultative period. The control plan will involve post-transport weighing, which means it will be back to how it was before April. Weighing will be able to take place on premises when that control plan goes through, thereby removing weighing at landing. For us and the industry, the control plan is a very high priority. Following submissions from across the breadth of the industry, we will include pelagic fishing in it. The control plan will be key. We will need to work as quickly as we can, which will involve a series of meetings with the Commission. It has met us already and expressed its openness to working with Ireland on getting a good solution.

The first thing is to give an assurance that that is the way it is going forward.

In regard to the food quality questions, when we were before the committee the last time, we acknowledged the quality issues that were raised by the committee. To reiterate what Mr. O'Mahony said, both before and after the European Commission's decision the weighing of catches remains the responsibility of the industry and it is distinct from the SFPA’s landing inspection process in that it occurs whether or not we are present. All weighing of fish, wherever it occurs, whether it is on the pier or in the factory, has the potential to impact on cold chain and hygiene maintenance. Weighing in an exposed environment with small-scale equipment will require active attention by operators to manage such concerns. I know there has been significant engagement with the SFPA and we would like to express huge gratitude to the industry for that engagement, where the industry is looking at solutions. We wish to highlight the continued availability of sample weighing for fishery products and standardised boxes. For most whitefish, with some exceptions, this involves weighing relatively small sample numbers, leaving the vast majority of fish boxes fully iced and untouched other than to ensure allocation to traceable lots. It is an important part of our remit to ensure food business operators identify and manage responsibility for food safety risks, and this is a particular focus of our attention in our ongoing consultation with the industry following the revocation of the control plan.

On a point I should have mentioned earlier, when we submit the control plan, we will also be submitting a revised sampling plan. As part of that, one of the issues raised at the last meeting with this committee was in regard to monkfish, which was not in the previous sampling plan. It is our intention to look at sample weighing for monkfish, so there is opportunity in this as well.

I will hand over to Mr. Kinneen and Mr. O’Mahony, who may want to come in on some of those questions.