Dr. Cecil Beamish:

It is hard to draw a single conclusion, but 70% of UK seafood is exported to the EU. A producer in the shellfish industry, which is non-quota, will face tariffs exporting to the EU. That is a non-quota sector, so such a producer will not see any benefit. The UK share of certain quota fisheries is perceived by British fishermen to be relatively low. They perceive that they will benefit from an increased quota. The Deputy is correct in saying that these products are largely sold into the EU. The UK tends to import cod, salmon, tiger prawns, tuna etc. for its domestic market. It exports a lot of the other fish.

Whether a producer perceives a balance of advantage or disadvantage depends on what kind of fishery he or she is exploiting. However, fisheries is a zero-sum game. If somebody gets a bigger share, somebody else gets a smaller share. We are very conscious of that from the Irish perspective. Our position, and to date the EU position, is that any future negotiations with the UK will be on the basis of the current access and quota-sharing arrangements. Ireland's position and that of the EU is that the UK should leave with what it has. It retains its current arrangements. If that arrangement allows the UK access to certain EU fisheries and the EU access to certain UK fisheries, that will be the arrangement with which the UK leaves. That is not necessarily the perception in the UK, as the Deputy points out.

However, all of that is to be worked out in future negotiations. No matter what happens here, we must anticipate fisheries negotiations taking place over a reasonably long period going forward.

They will be important for the fishing industry here. It would be conducted through EU central negotiations, much like Michel Barnier has done so far. Member states work and feed into that process. They are not removed from it.