Ms Sinéad McSherry:

Due to the changes that occurred as a result of the UK leaving the European Union, the traditional access routes were not available. Part of the funding programme, particularly as it related to inshore fishers, was to enable them to develop new markets and new routes to market and to examine the issues impacting on them and how those could be addressed.

The other changes that are taking up a great deal of time are the UK’s certification requirements on Irish shellfish. The Department, through its veterinary service, the Marine Institute and the SFPA, which has a role in certification, have been working with the industry on what certs are available and what the industry needs to do to be able to produce those certs and move its product. The situation has changed and some routes to market that were there previously are no longer available. For example, cockles were traditionally exported directly to the UK. Due to the new certification rules, they now need to be processed in the Netherlands and then sold into the UK. This is not something over which we have control. The SFPA, the Marine Institute and the officials in the Department have worked with the industry to find alternatives for accessing markets.