Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

I apologise for having to step out for 15 minutes to deal with the Business Committee. I read our witnesses' presentations beforehand. I took the opportunity to put some of the issues directly to the Minister in the previous session. Let us address these issues. The first is that we have third-party countries that do extensive trade with the European Union. I am thinking in particular of Iceland and Norway, but also of the Faroe Islands. I know that they have a connection with Denmark, which is a member state. These things are not straightforward. Let us be frank about this; they have ignored the science to which our fishing industry has to subscribe under the Common Fisheries Policy. They have just ignored it. They have overfished, and they have not been punished in any way for those actions. Indeed, they have been rewarded with lucrative trade. That obviously has a direct impact on our own industry.

I quoted from the submission of the Seafood Ireland Alliance that Brexit could have an impact of €800 million until the duration of this 12-year period. It has already had an impact of about €180 million. I thank Mr. Burke for his submission. He has campaigned in the industry for many years. I also thank Mr. Conneely from IIMRO. Other fishing sectors will be looking on with interest today. The appointment of a dedicated Minister of State - thanks to the industry, all of our witnesses here today and those listening who campaigned for this – is very important. We have a dedicated Minister of State and a dedicated committee here in the Oireachtas at last. That is crucial. These two major developments are thanks to the campaigning of the industry. However, we need to see action.

I would like to get the Minister of State's thoughts on my proposition that we establish a dedicated office - I suggest that it be given the name Fish Ireland, but the Minister of State can come up with other names - in Brussels where the seafood industry and our Government would fight side by side for our interests, try to build allies, confront injustice and speak truth to power. If deals are being done with third-party countries that reward poor practice, that should not be happening. If there are practices that go against climate or carbon policy, that should not be happening. Those communities closest to the fishing grounds should benefit the most.

I want to get a sense from everyone here of their thoughts on how we can unite together and have a strategy or plan to try to restructure the Common Fisheries Policy to make it fair. I want to get a sense of everyone’s thoughts on the unity of the industry. I commend all of our witnesses here today because they have united together and all their sectors are standing up for Irish interests. It is not easy because everybody is trying to survive. All of the members of the organisations represented today are trying to make a living, and are forced to compete with each other. Despite all of that, they have united together to stand up for the industry. I wish to get a sense of what we need to do, and what actions they believe need to be taken with the new Minister of State.